


It's All A Mystery

by Annie_Eliza



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Humor, Crack, Humor, Humorous Ending, Love Potion/Spell, M/M, Romance, Spells & Enchantments, Truth Spells
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-08
Updated: 2015-07-09
Packaged: 2018-03-11 01:05:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 51,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3310145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annie_Eliza/pseuds/Annie_Eliza
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marilyn has five guilty pleasures: </p><p>1. A good romance novel<br/>2. Soap Operas<br/>3. Getting her nails done<br/>4. A pint of cherry ice cream<br/>5. Indulging in her enchantments and mischievous spirit by pairing up people who didn't belong together in order to teach someone a lesson.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a mostly silly multi-chapter fic. It won't be very long but it has been planned since before I started writing Intersect so I felt like it was time to start it.
> 
>  
> 
> [](http://tinypic.com?ref=qs1lx1)  
> 

All throughout her life, Marilyn Durant made sure people knew not to mess with her. With the people not worth the time, it was with the flick of a wrist to make sure their shoelaces tied themselves together as soon as they finished patting themselves on the back for mocking her. Sometimes with the more ignorant ones, she would just make a scathing remark, make them cower, and not resort to her otherworldly abilities. Once in a while with the people who really pissed her off, she would take time out of her day, loosen the leash on her magic a little more, and make sure their week was completely unbearable. Nothing too extreme but how many parking tickets, food stains, rude customers, and lost twenty dollar bills could one person take?

 

And then there were people like Brian Kinney.

 

The thing was, she knew Brian was instinctually good. She has to see his aura every time they both frequent Liberty Avenue. Despite his debaucherous sex life and devil may care attitude, she could tell how sensitive and loving the man secretly was. When she first saw him, she thought she was losing her touch when she saw the aura of a man who should have cartoon birds fixing his hair only to see him minutes later fuck seven men in the back room of Babylon and tear his friend, Theodore, a new one for being a “boring and lonely accountant.”

 

She didn’t understand Brian at first. He fascinated her though. So she had stolen a strand of his hair. He was quite offended when she plucked it out but it was easy enough to convince him it caught on her purse as she walked passed his seat. That piece of hair gave her the ability to look into his past more clearly and she could see how damaged he was. He had been abused, taken advantage of, and beaten down at such a young age. She knew he had buried his real self long ago and built up walls of arrogancy, anonymous sex, and wealth to keep himself from getting too hurt. She felt for him. So whenever he would make a skeptical and rude remark about her she would ignore it and let it slide. She knew that the Brian who currently lain dormant would not say or do the kind of things that he had been saying and doing for the last twenty years or so. Maybe one day he would see that.

 

Her feelings about not doing anything when it came to Brian Kinney changed when he fell in love with Justin Taylor.

 

Brian was so hot and cold with the boy. She had stayed out of the way when Brian kept dismissing Justin in the beginning. It was his business if he wanted to stay lonely by pushing away his most compatible soul mate. She hadn’t interfered when Justin briefly left him. Brian needed the wake-up call. That wake-up call apparently didn’t last too long though. Now that Brian was ignoring his partner’s needs by participating in some sex contest, it was only a matter of time before he lost Justin again. It was a pity. She had become a bit of a fan of the couple and she was far from the only one.

 

She could mind her own business and let them fall apart. It was probably the right thing to let them do things on their own.

 

Or she could get her spell books out and make things more interesting. She could solve this quickly by slipping Brian a truth serum that took away his walls for a while, but that could come later if need be. She could make the outcome of what she was about to do much more subtle but Brian Kinney needed to be put in his place once more and see what it was like to lose Justin before it happened for good. She was going to have fun with this and make it dramatic with a dash of ridiculous.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Mr. Taylor! Be a dear and come over here for a minute, will you?”

 

Justin glanced around and back at Mysterious Marilyn to give her a questioning look. She nodded her head and gestured for him to come over and sit next to her. Justin slowly walked over and complied.

 

“Um, hi. You wanted to see me?”

 

“Yes. How have you been, honey?”

 

“Okay, I guess. Listen, I don’t have any money for a reading-”

 

“I didn’t ask you over here for financial gain, even though I know you have thirty dollars in your pocket. I asked you over to offer to do one for free.”

 

Justin gave her a skeptical look and seemed hesitant. Marilyn sighed. Why does everything have to be about money?

 

“I mean, I don’t know-”

 

“I assure you, I’m quite accurate.”

 

“I know that. You’re too accurate. I don’t know if I want to hear what you have to say.”

 

Marilyn gleefully giggled. She loved it when her impeccable job performance made its way around Pittsburgh.

 

“Oh, don’t worry about hearing anything too awful. You are going to lead an incredible life, Justin Taylor. I can tell you that. Now, how about that free reading?”

 

That seemed to cheer Justin up a bit. He smiled at her and nodded his head.

 

“Okay. I don’t see the harm in just one reading.”

 

“It will only help you in the long run, be positive of that. Now give me your hands.”

 

Justin held out his hands and Marilyn placed hers on top of his. She rubbed the discrete powder against his palms and started to speak. She saw a little bit of his past. Oh boy, was he angry a few months ago. That explains why he shaved off his pretty hair. She received some X rated visions of him and Brian together. She saw a little of his future. It consisted of explosions, art, New York, heartache, and feeling like a part of him was missing. But she wasn’t going to tell him that. Not if she was going to try to change things.

 

“I see a man in your life. Someone who you really love.”

 

“Right, Brian.”

 

 

“Yes. But he’s dragging his feet, isn’t he? You want something more and the more you want it the more he pulls away.”

 

Justin blinks a few times and nods to confirm her statement.

 

“There’s another man. One whom you already know but never saw as a romantic prospect. But you will within 48 hours.”

 

“Wait, what? Who are you talking about?”

 

“You’ll see soon. No matter how little the pairing makes sense, you will feel like you have fallen fast and hard for him. You will barely even feel guilty about it. The infatuation you will feel for this man will be thorough to the T.”

 

“That’s all well and fine, but I don’t see how I will fall for someone else that I already know within 48 hours-”

 

“And I don’t see how you will remember this conversation as soon as I take my hands off of yours.”

 

Marilyn lifts her hands off of Justin’s. Justin looks confused as to how he got there and glances at Marilyn. Marilyn looks back at him and clears her throat.

 

“Would you like a reading? Five dollars for a palm reading, ten for the board or tarot, and twenty for the zodiac chart.”

 

“No thanks. I don’t have any money.”

 

“There’s thirty dollars in your pocket, dear.

 

Justin blushes, mumbles to her “Have a good night” and goes to the other side of the bar. It worked. She hasn’t done that for a while, but it felt good. She was always a little bit of a prankster and that particular spell appealed to that side of her. She is so glad she was able to get a hold of Ted Schmidt’s jacket at Babylon last night. She had needed something that he owned for the spell to work. Brian would be in such a state when Justin and Ted’s new romance became the talk of the town.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Justin woke up this morning, all he could think about was Ted Schmidt and how they should hang out more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This is sort of ridiculous.

Justin was annoyed with Brian. 

 

It had been building for several weeks but the fucking contest and the extreme hatred over monogamy that seemed more intense than ever was really pissing Justin off. Brian was pushing him away and he was pushing Michael away too. He didn’t understand it. He still cared about Brian but just today he questioned whether or not he even loved him anymore. Something deep inside him told him he did but at the same time something else was telling him not to listen to it and that he needed to move on and get over him.

 

Justin felt confused. He felt unloved, fed up, sad, and pissed off. He needed a friend. He needed Ted.

 

Ted was such an illogical choice. He didn’t know why he didn’t want to talk to Daphne, Emmett, Ben, or Michael. Lindsay or Melanie would have made more sense than Ted. Hell, even Debbie would have been a more logical choice. Out of their group of friends, he and Ted probably knew each other the least. He never disliked Ted by any means, but he had always been dull until he did things like run a porno website and get addicted to crystal meth. Maybe that was what made him so interesting. He overcame his struggles and became a better man. But he never thought of Ted as interesting. Not until today. Today, Ted was the first person on his mind when he woke up. Maybe his gut was telling him that he should try to get to know him better.

 

Justin picked up his phone and found Ted’s number. He doesn’t think that he’s ever actually called it. It rings a few times and he hears Ted pick up.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hey, Ted! It’s Justin.”

 

“Oh! Uh hi, Justin. I wasn’t expecting you to call.”

 

He sounds so cute when he’s confused.

 

“I was just thinking of you all day. You know, people don’t give you as much credit as you deserve. You’ve overcome a lot. I feel like we hang out but never really talk, you know? So I was wondering if you wanted to go out and get something to eat. Just the two of us.”

 

“Well, I was just going to stay home and-”

 

“Ted, please. I could really use a friend and the first person I thought about was you.”

 

“What? Really?”

 

“Yes. Now where do you want to meet?”

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

They meet at an Italian Bistro on 2nd Street. The quaint but cute flair of it just screams Ted and Justin laughs a little because of course his Ted would pick a place like this. He has such wonderful taste.

 

Justin walks in and sees Ted sitting in the corner the restaurant. Ted looks up and gives Justin a wave. Justin finds his face breaking into what could possibly be the biggest smile he’s ever given in his life and his palms start to sweat a little. Ted looks around as though Justin could EVER give that smile to someone else. Justin goes over, sits down across from him, and tries to keep himself from playing footsie with Ted’s feet.

 

“Ted! Hi! I am so glad you could come and spend time with me. It means more than you could ever know,” Justin tells him as he reaches over to touch Ted’s hand. Ted looks at him with the cutest confused expression on his face and gives him a hesitant smile. Justin’s heart melts a little when that happens.

 

“Yeah, it’s no problem. You were right when you said we never spend a lot of one-on-one time together. I mean, we both spend time with our other friends one-on-one. I spend a lot of time with the girls and will go out with Michael and Ben a lot. I work with Brian and get drinks with him after occasionally. I used to spend almost all of my free time with Emmett before um…what happened. And you hang out with Emmett a lot, work on Rage with Michael and have dinner with him and Ben, spend time with the girls, and of course you are with Brian. But we never really sat down and talked, just the two of us. I never realized that until you pointed it out yourself.”

 

“And you know what, Ted? I don’t know why it hasn’t happened until now. I actually think we have a lot in common. We are both into art and music. We both read classical literature. You are much more culturally intelligent than Brian. I mean he's really smart, don't get me wrong, but he doesn't even try to go to plays or read novels from the 1700s.”

 

“Oh, I don’t know if that’s fair. Like you said, Brian is very intelligent. He might not like going to shows or to the opera or reading Victorian novels but I'm sure he is into a lot of other things. He is a big fan of classic movies. I always told Emmett that they should have hung out more because of that but he said they tried to have a movie night once when he and Michael were still living together. He claimed that Brian’s tastes were too butch.”

 

Justin briefly entertains the idea of Brian having a movie night with Emmett and starts imagining what that would be like. But then Ted’s tongue peaks out to wet his lips and he becomes completely focused on that instead.

 

“Well, Emmett was right. His tastes are really butch. He can never let loose and broaden his horizons. Frankly, I’m sick of it. I need to be around someone kinder and more open to things. Someone like you.”

 

“Well, I don’t know if I am open to a lot of new things. I sit at home a lot,” Ted laughs in a humble tone. As though he has any reason to be humble. Just look at the man.

 

“Of course you are. And the only reason you sit at home sometimes is because deep down you are content with your life.”

 

“Not really. I want to be though. That’s why I’m talking to a plastic surgeon about some changes.”

 

Justin gasps and takes Ted’s hand into both of his.

 

“Ted, don’t you ever try to change yourself. Everything about you is perfect. You are one of the most handsome men I have ever seen.”

 

“Yeah, right. I appreciate the huge exaggeration but-“

 

“I’m telling you the truth, Ted! I never saw why Brian was so hard on you. But I have recently realized how handsome and caring you really are. You are beautiful, Ted Schmidt.”

 

“Oh um…Thanks?”

 

Their little lunch date grew even more wonderful from there. Justin flirted and told him how beautiful his eyes were. And Ted…oh, his Ted. He asked him if he was feeling alright. He really cared about Justin’s well-being and wasn’t that how great relationships should start? They talked about so many things. Ted’s new opera album, how Justin’s art was coming along, the weather. Ted kept trying to bring up Brian but Justin saw no point in Ted talking about work, and that included Ted’s boss. He certainly didn’t want to talk about the diner. So Justin redirected that topic into something more substantial, like if Ted liked to go dancing. When Justin lifted his foot to stroke Ted’s calf, Ted got flustered and spilled his water. As he muttered and cleaned up the spill with a napkin, Justin fell a little bit more in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read and review!


	3. Chapter 3

Number 4. Only six more to go until he could prove once and for all that he was the top stud of Pittsburgh. Only six more until it would be certain that Brandon could never darken the doorstep, backroom, or dance floor of Babylon again.

 

He needs to get back home to Justin though so he keeps it quick by taking number 4 into the bathroom stall at Woody’s. He’s in and out and on his way. He knows Justin doesn’t approve of the rivalry going on between him and Brandon. He’s become a little more distant since he found out about the challenge. That wasn’t his problem. Justin knew what he was getting into when he came back to Brian. He knew that Brian wouldn’t change anytime soon. Hadn’t he fucking changed enough for Justin? He and Justin lived together. He had even introduced him as his partner before! He should be happy with that. Brian certainly was but he couldn’t see himself making any more accommodations. 

 

But fuck, Justin has been acting weird the last few days. When the contest started he was just distant. But the last two days he’s been downright evasive. He hasn’t even wanted to have sex with him. Brian first thought that Justin may be annoyed with him for not letting him top for a long time. However, that turned out to not be the case. This morning, Brian practically offered his ass on a platter but Justin turned it down and said he had to go to work. Like fuck he had to go to work. His shift didn’t even start until 11. And then there were these secret smiles that Brian caught him making as though he were thinking of something that made him really happy. When Brian playfully bumped his shoulder against his and asked what he was thinking about, Justin had just scowled, scoffed, rolled his eyes, and said, “Nothing, Brian! Mind your own business, God!” There was also the fact that he has been sleeping on the other side of the bed like he didn’t even want to touch Brian. Brian would never admit to cuddling or spooning. But with Justin, such activities tended to happen anyway. Last night, Brian subtly tried to bring Justin into his side so he could lay his head on Brian’s chest but Justin had just smacked his hands away and said that it was too hot and he was tired.

 

It shouldn’t bother him. He never wanted to be in a relationship so this was probably a good thing. Who the fuck was he kidding? It wasn’t a good thing. Whatever was up Justin’s ass all of the sudden was bothering him a lot because it hurt way more than he’d like to admit. He didn’t usually face his problems by talking it out. Talking about feelings has never been one of his strong points. He usually liked to pretend he didn’t have any feelings. He wasn’t fooling anyone though. Everyone knew he was head over heels for Justin. So he was prepared to go home and talk to him. He would tell him why the contest was so important, why his lifestyle was integral to who he was, and that Justin didn’t need to be jealous of anyone on the list. When he and Brandon made up the list, Brandon had suggested Justin and Brian had almost punched him. Justin was too good for that and he didn’t want Brandon touching him. Justin had to understand the situation if Brian didn’t immediately get defensive about what had been going on. Then things would be fine.

 

So there’s a reason as to why Brian’s a little anxious when he gets into the elevator lift. But everything will be okay. He and Justin just need to talk, that’s all.

 

Or that’s what he thinks until he sees that goddamn duffle bag.

 

“Justin?” Brian calls out as he looks around the loft, trying to find his partner.

 

Justin comes out of the bathroom and puts his toothbrush in a travel container. He looks up and sees Brian there.

 

“Hey Brian,” Justin greets him as he walks passed him and over to his bag.

 

“Going somewhere?”

 

Justin zips up the pocket and picks up the bag.

 

“Yeah. I’m moving out. I cleared out my drawer and got the stuff I can carry. I’ll ask Daphne tomorrow if I can borrow her car so I can come and get my canvases and my easel. I’ll stop by while you are at work and leave the keys to the loft on your desk. That cool?”

 

Brian gapes at him and stutters. He knows he isn’t coming off as eloquent as he’d like but he doesn’t give a damn right now. Justin has to be fucking with him. He wouldn’t just say this shit without some meaningful conversation about wanting different things or something of the sort. They are at that point in their relationship, surely. Before he has control of himself, his feet carry him closer to where Justin’s standing. He stands there and finally does manage to get control over himself.

 

“Justin, just put your bag down. Let’s talk about this, alright?”

 

“Nah, I’m not interested in talking. I don’t have the time and I really need to get to the bus stop. Maybe some other time,” Justin tells him as he starts to step away. Brian grabs his arm to pull him back.

 

“Stop! Just fucking stop! Why are you doing this?”

 

“I just think it’s the right time to end this now. Sorry if you’re upset by it but I’m more than ready to move on,” Justin tells him with a blank face. Like ripping Brian’s heart into little pieces isn’t bothering him at all.

 

“Is it the contest? Are you fucking jealous?” Brian sneers at him. It probably is the wrong question to ask but Justin doesn’t seem angered by it.

 

“No. I’ve been fucked by you plenty of times. Why would I be jealous of your one-offs?”

 

“Then what? Why are you acting like this? Do you want me to stop the contest altogether? Fine! I will throw in the towel but I’m sure as hell not becoming your housewife!”

 

“Do whatever you want, Brian. It’s your business now,” Justin says before he tries to pull away again.

 

“Just tell me why you are doing this and I’ll let you go. Why, Sunshine?”

 

Justin sighs and looks at Brian. It’s the first time since he walked in that he has seen the slightest bit of remorse in Justin’s eyes.

 

“You really want to know?”

 

“Yes. Just tell me since you won’t give me the courtesy of sitting down to talk with me. I deserve that much and you know it.”

 

“You’re right. You do deserve to know.”

 

Justin takes a breath, straightens his shoulders, and keeps eye contact with Brian.

 

“I am in love with someone else. It’s not a desperate schoolboy crush like I had for Ethan. It’s love. A love that makes my pulse quicken and my stomach flutter. Every time I think of him, I start smiling and I can’t stop. I never thought I would feel this way for another person but I am so far gone for the guy, Brian. I haven’t officially told him yet but it isn’t fair to you for me to stay here when I am in love with another man. Especially when I no longer love you. Not like that. Not anymore. It’s like my feelings for him have taken over. He is just so much...better. For me, anyway. He is the type who would really be ready to move forward with a relationship. He’s perfect. I’m sorry if I am hurting you but that’s just the way it is. Have a good night, Brian.”

 

Brian’s left staring at the wall as Justin pulls away from his loosened grasp. He hears Justin’s footsteps and the door to the loft slam closed. He finally moves after ten minutes or so and goes to get the whiskey out of the cabinet. Then, he drinks. And drinks. Followed by drinking some more.

 

When he doesn’t have complete control over his actions and movements anymore, he ends up dialing Michael’s number around midnight and surprisingly the little stepford wife picks up the phone. Not surprisingly, he is already in bed.

 

“Brian, why the fuck are you calling this late? If you are calling to apologize, then apology not accepted. Ben and I have an early day tomorrow. Hello? Brian?”

 

All of the sudden the numbness he has felt since Justin walked out the door fades away and he’s left with what is close to the worst pain he’s ever felt.

 

“M-Mikey,” he manages to sob out.

 

“Brian? Are you...are you crying? Hey, what is it? Where’s Justin?”

 

That question just makes him become even more of a mess. Thanks, Michael.

 

“It hurts! Why would he-? Asked him to live with me and he moved in just a couple of months ag- I don’t understand-!” Brian tries to get out but he’s bawling like a fucking idiot and slurring his words so he doubts that he gets the message across.

 

“Jesus, Brian. Alright, take deep breaths and try to calm down. How much have you had to drink?”

 

Brian takes Michael's advice and tries to calm himself. It's so fucking ridiculous. He hasn't broken down like this in front of anyone, on the phone or in person, in years. The last time was in front of Debbie, Vic, and Michael when he was 15, bruised up, and so fucking afraid of his father that the thought of going back that day made him want to run away and never come back. So he isn't used to regaining control because he makes sure that he never loses control in the first place. It takes several hitched breaths that are broken off by whimpers before he gets a hold of his breathing and finally he has a hold of himself just enough so that he can answer Michael's question.

“Lots. I don’t want to be alone,” he whispers. He’s not sure who he’s saying it to at this point.

 

“Okay. You’re at the loft, right? I’ll be over soon. Just stay there. Put the Jim Beam away and don’t try driving anywhere. I’m coming.”

 

He hears Michael end the call. Michael doesn’t have to worry about him leaving. He trips twice on the way to his bed and ends up crawling part of the way so he sure as hell couldn’t make it downstairs and outside. The figurative knife in his chest would also probably keep him from going too far. The pain in his chest may be a residual burn from the alcohol but he has a feeling it isn’t. For the third time in his life, he is feeling the physical sensation that gives heartbreak its accurate name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up being really angsty. Sorry about that but it was needed before Brian finds out who Justin is so obsessed over. Then he can hit the WTF? stage. Thanks for reading! Leave a review to let me know what you thought!


	4. Chapter 4

Well, Michael wasn’t going to get to go in early and do inventory today. He may not go in at all. In all honesty, he was afraid to leave Brian alone due to the current slump he was in. The hangover was the least of Brian’s problems.

 

He never thought he’d see it, but it was undeniable. Brian Kinney was wallowing. Brian Kinney, the heartless stud of Liberty Avenue, was refusing to get out of bed for work or for anything else because he had gotten his heart broken last night. He had a feeling it may have occurred before when Justin had left him for Ethan since Brian had chained the door and refused to answer it all of that eventful night. But he never witnessed it until now. Michael couldn’t even get him to get dressed. He wouldn’t be surprised if this was any of his other friends. Not wanting to face the world and moping after a horrible break-up was the norm, wasn’t it? But Brian had NEVER followed the norm. Yet here he was, having Michael call Ted to tell him he wouldn’t be at work today and spontaneously crying every so often throughout the morning. Michael was very close to sneaking out to go and get him a few pints of Ben & Jerry’s but it didn’t go well when he had asked Brian what flavors he wanted. Brian had screamed, “I don’t eat ice cream, Michael! I’m not some teenage girl who needs to bury her fucking hurt feelings in junk food!”

 

He followed the outburst by burying his face in his pillow to stifle his whimpers. Jesus Christ, why couldn’t he just accept the healing powers of ice cream? If Brian didn’t get his act together in a few hours, maybe he could compromise with him and get frozen yogurt instead. Frankly, he could go for either right now. He hasn’t eaten since dinner last night and Brian’s fridge was only stocked with water bottles and poppers. Brian could have at least bought some Chef Boyardee before he called to wake Michael up last night. But he would bite his tongue about it today. After the night Brian had, Michael could at least give him that.

 

While Michael was pretty much over his anger at Brian, he had still been mad at him a little before he found out why Brian was so upset. Before, there were so many questions going through his head. Like, why did Brian have to call him late on a Sunday night when he knew he did inventory on Monday mornings? They hadn’t even been talking. Michael made it pretty clear to him a couple of weeks ago that he was angry and questioning their friendship. But fuck, Brian was messed up. On his way over last night, he hadn’t even been completely sure what had gotten him so upset. Brian had never been much of a crier. When he did cry, it was almost always silent tears. The fact that something had broken him enough to make him call Michael and sob so hard on the phone that Michael couldn’t understand him had scared him enough to snap him out of his anger and go check on him. He told Ben about the call after he hung up the phone. Ben had been incredibly understanding and told him to go over to the loft and comfort his friend.

 

When Michael had gotten there, he found Brian curled up on the bed, sniffling, and still crying a little. He went to get Brian some water and laid down next to him. Brian eventually told Michael that Justin had left him. He figured as much so he wasn’t that surprised. He knew that Justin had wanted Brian to become more committed in their relationship. However, when Brian rehashed the tale of how it went down, Michael felt pain for his friend and, even more, shock over what Justin had said. It wasn’t just a bad breakup. Justin had been fucking _cruel_ to Brian. No wonder Brian was so messed up right now. 

 

So Michael had stayed and agreed to let Ted know that Brian wouldn’t be there. Michael had gotten a hold of him and, although he didn’t tell Ted why Brian was calling off, Ted had still been concerned since Brian rarely calls off work.

 

“Is he alright? He isn’t really sick again like before, is he?” Ted had asked him.

 

“No, it isn’t anything like that. As far as I know he is still cancer free. He just had a rough night and needs to recoup. Are there any important meetings today? He isn’t really in the state of mind to tell me anything.”

 

“There’s a follow up with Remson but it’s nothing that Cynthia or I can’t handle. He has some paperwork he needs to sign that needs sent out by tonight but I can stop by later this afternoon with it and go over it with him. Do you think he’s up for that?”

 

“I don’t know, Ted. He’s going through something right now. It isn’t my place to say. But he does need all the friends he can get so maybe it is a good idea to stop by and keep things normal. Just…don’t judge him too much if he seems a bit off.”

 

“Right, of course. Hey, where’s Justin? He’s there taking care of Brian too, right? I know their relationship has been a bit strained lately but I think that this will really get him to see how much he really loves Brian.” 

 

Ted sounds nervous and his words are a bit strange, but Michael doesn’t dwell on them. He loves Ted, but he’s always been a bit weird.

 

“No, Ted. He’s not here. I gotta go, okay? I’ll probably be here when you stop by so I’ll see you then.”

 

"Oh. Okay. Well, let me know if you or Brian need anything else...Maybe you should call Justin. He probably would want to know and be there-"

 

"Ted! Believe me. He does _not_ want to be here," Michael whispers out, trying to get Ted to take the hint, "Sorry. I will see you later, alright?"

 

"Yeah. Bye, Michael."

 

Michael hung up and walked over to attempt to rouse Brian again. He didn’t budge. He thought he might have been onto something when he suggested to him that they have a Marlon Brando marathon but Brian just hit him with a pillow and turned over to face the other side of the room.

 

\---------------------------------

 

The meeting went well. Despite Ted minorly freaking out over what was probably just a delusion or at least a misunderstanding, Kinnetik’s clients left in a good spirits over how people were responding to their new advertisements. The meeting also gave him a good excuse to put his phone on mute and not have to hear the chime of Justin’s messages. When he pulled his cell out of his pocket to check it, he had received four texts.

 

**Hey! How are you today?**

 

**Hope you have a wonderful day!**  
 **Call me on your lunch break if you get the chance. :)**

 

**I rented Phantom of the Opera.**  
 **I can stop by tonight and we can watch it together. :D**

 

**I went to feed the ducks at the park today.**  
 **I always sit alone on a bench and just watch them.**  
 **Sometimes I’ll sketch. Not even Brian knew about it.**  
 **But for some reason, I want to show you my special place.**

 

They were all very nice texts. Ted had even given in and called him during lunch. Justin hadn’t talked much except to tell him how wonderful he was then proceeded to giggle at everything Ted said. Maybe Justin just needed a friend. To be honest, the attention and the compliments felt good. Even though he was in a better place in his life than he was a year ago, Ted still tried to stick to a routine and didn’t go out with his friends as much as he’d like because of that. The fact that Justin was reaching out and making an effort to spend time with him really meant a lot, especially since they hadn’t been that close before.

 

But there was something weird about it. When he had gotten the call from Michael telling him that Brian wouldn’t be at work today, he had been concerned for his friend. Brian had just recovered from cancer and he wanted him to stay healthy. But this sounded as though he stayed home for a more personal reason. The fact that Michael told him that Brian was in a bad place and didn’t want to talk about Justin’s absence from the loft worried him more. While Justin was being very nice to him, it was out of character. Not that Justin had ever been mean. He was always nice, but never made much of an effort to spend quality time with him. He didn’t think much of it. Justin was sixteen years younger than him and even though they were a part of the same group, it was understandable that they didn’t hang out with each other. But the past couple of days that’s all Justin has wanted to do. He texted him goodnight and good morning. He sent him little things that happened to him throughout the day that reminded him of Ted. It was flattering but odd. He had to wonder if Brian knew about Justin wanting to hang out with him and how he felt about that.

 

Maybe he’d find out today. Maybe it didn’t have anything to do with Justin. Maybe Brian and Justin happened to be arguing at the moment and Brian was upset over something else. There was only one way to find out.

 

“Hey, Cynthia? You need anything else before I go? I’m going to run those papers over to Brian and go over numbers with him.”

 

“No, you’re good. Tell Brian that I want him better ASAP, alright?”

 

“Will do. Have a good night!”

 

“You too!”

 

Ted walked out to his car and drove over to Tremont St. He went into Brian’s building and got buzzed in by Michael. Michael opened the door and Ted didn’t see Brian.

 

“Hey, where’s Brian?”

 

“In bed.”

 

“Shit, is he that sick? I don’t want to wake him up if he’s not feeling well.”

 

“He’s not sick. Not contagious, anyway. He’s awake. Maybe you’ll have more luck than I have had.”

 

Michael walks over and plops himself down on the couch. Ted turns and hesitantly walks up the few stairs that lead to the bedroom.

 

“Brian? Hey, you awake?”

 

The lump under the covers stays still and doesn’t make a sound.

 

Ted doesn’t know how to go about this. But he really does need the papers signed. So he slowly lifts the covers to reveal Brian’s head and shoulders. He gets a look at Brian’s face when Brian turns his head to find out who the perpetrator is and...fuck. He’s barely recognizable. His hairs all messy, his eyes are bloodshot and a bit puffy, his face looks a little blotchy. Ted can tell he’s been crying on and off and he really feels for him due to whatever he’s going through. It has to be bad to get him this out of sorts.

 

“Hey Bri,” Ted says as he awkwardly pats him on the shoulder. He figures that Brian will try to hide any evidence of how he’s feeling. But all Brian does is sniffle and try to snuggle back into the covers. Ted isn’t sure how to go about this but Brian’s always been a cynical “tell it like it is” person. While he probably can’t manage to insult him like Brian probably would to him if the situation were reversed, he can try a similar method.

 

“Hey. Come on. Don’t go back to bed. Whatever is happening sucks, I get it and I’m here if you need me. But my main concern right now is Kinnetik,” Brian’s head shoots up at that and Ted keeps himself from chuckling.

 

“Don’t worry, your baby is fine. In fact, she is flourishing. Let’s keep it that way. I will be out of your hair in twenty minutes tops. I just want to go over some budget forms and some contract drafts for you to approve and I’ll be on my way. After that, you can go back to what you’ve been doing.”

 

His method looks like it might be working because Brian sits up and rubs his eyes, then swings his legs over so his feet are on the ground. Ted stands there in case Brian needs help up but he seems to get to his feet okay and makes his way down the stairs and sits on one of the kitchen stools. Ted sits down on the other stool and looks over to where Michael is on the couch. Michael looks to be a strange combination of relieved, hesitant, and jealous of Ted for being able to do something Michael has been trying to do all day. Michael gets up and puts his coat on.

 

“Brian, I’m going to stop and get you some groceries. I’ll make dinner so you can have something on hand.”

 

“My wallet is in the nightstand. Take my debit card. Pin number is 5783,” Brian hoarsely tells him.

 

Soon, Michael leaves the two of them alone and Ted starts to go over the documents. Brian seems to be trying to pay attention but Ted is guessing that his mind is plagued with whatever is bothering him. Brian does manage to talk shop and inquire about what went on today though and they are finished before Michael is even back. Ted puts the papers back into the folder and looks at Brian, who is staring off into space quietly.

 

“I hope you feel better, Bri. I really do. Let me know if you need anything. If you need to take another day off, we’ll be fine. You don’t have to tell-”

 

“Justin broke up with me.”

 

Ted stops what he’s saying and waits for Brian to say more but he doesn’t.

 

“Did you guys get into a fight?”

 

“No. He had been distant for a couple of days but we weren’t fighting. I hated that enough and came home to talk things out but he had already packed his shit up and told me he was leaving me. I kept trying to get him to sit down and fucking talk to me but he didn’t care. He wasn’t angry or upset. He just didn’t care and acted like it wasn’t a big deal. When I asked him why he was doing this, he told me he didn’t love me anymore and had fallen in love with someone else. He seemed so fucking obsessed over him but didn’t tell me shit about him-” Brian tells him but stops as his voice breaks. 

 

Brian clears his throat and seems to brace himself for Ted’s reaction. But Ted can’t even think right now. It was just a coincidence. Justin was just texting him because he wanted to be closer friends with him. That had to be it. Maybe he was afraid that he would lose friends over the break up and wanted to try to put in an extra effort in so that didn't happen. He didn’t see how Justin could fit anyone else in to text, call, and spontaneously visit though, especially with work. He had been calling Ted a few times a day and texting him even more. On top of all that, he visited him last night and sat really close to him on the couch.

 

No.

 

Fuck.

 

“You have anything to say about what I told you or are you trying to come up with some sarcastic quip so you can kick me while I’m down? Go on! If you are going to say something, just say it!” Brian starts to rage. Ted tries to cover his moment of panic and attempts to comfort Brian.

 

“I wouldn’t-,” Brian glares at him and Ted remembers what he said about the first time they broke up due to Justin’s heart straying.

 

“That time with Ethan was different! We knew that you guys would get back together eventually. Justin just needed the experience then. I honestly can’t believe he told you he didn’t love you anymore. I am so sorry, Brian.”

 

Brian eyes fill with tears, but he blinks them away. Then he just shrugs and looks down. Ted has a strange urge to hug him an even stronger urge to run away. Can he get away with both? Maybe. He’ll be subtle about it. He stands up and stands next to Brian to put a hand on his back.

 

“I’m going to leave so I can get the papers out. You going to be okay?”

 

Brian just shrugs again. Right. Stupid question.

 

“I’ll see you later, Brian.”

 

As Ted walks to the door, Michael comes back in with several bags of groceries.

 

“I’m making Tuna Noodle Casserole tonight AND I’ve got ice cream for after. I expect you to eat at least half a pint, Brian. Believe me, it makes things so much better. Ted, you leaving? You can stay for dinner if you want. I bought a pint of Chunky Monkey for you,” Michael says as he unloads the bags.

 

“Tempting, but I need to get this stuff faxed in and make some calls. Maybe some other time. Have a good night, guys!”

 

Ted rushes out, closes the door, and runs to the elevator. Once he gets outside, he allows himself to panic. He tries to calm himself with deep even breaths. When he’s almost to the point where he can properly function again, his phone chimes. He pulls it out and sees that it is another text from Justin. Not only a text, but a picture message. Fuck, what if it’s a nude? He could just not open it. He has to pay a dollar for every picture message he sends and receives so it’s probably for the best that he just doesn’t click on it. But he has to know. He has to know what he’s in for.

 

With shaky hands, he presses the down arrow and opens the message.

 

[ ](http://tinypic.com?ref=ibeycj)

 

…What.

 

Before Ted can stay confused for long as to why an odd-eyed cat with a sour expression on its face would apply to him, Justin texts him again.

 

**Look at Daphne’s new cat, Ted!**  
 **Doesn’t she remind you of Lupe and her sass?**  
 **She reminded me of her.**  
 **I miss Lupe so much.**  
 **Can’t wait to see her again tonight. ******  
 **I miss her almost as much as I miss you.**  
 **See you in a few hours. <3**

A lot of things have happened to Ted that he didn’t expect to happen. He didn’t expect to run a successful porno website. He didn’t expect for it to come crashing down. He didn’t expect to fall for and lose Emmett. He didn’t expect to get hooked on crystal. He didn’t expect to form a close working relationship with his boss, Brian Kinney, of all people. But most of all, he never would have expected that he would accidentally steal Brian’s boyfriend away from him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we are getting back into the comedy a little more after the angsty chapter 3. Next chapter will be eventful.
> 
>  
> 
> Also, I would like to thank my cat, Seraphina, for agreeing to model for this fic. Mommy loves you, sweetheart.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ted receives a visit from a lovesick Justin and tries to make sense of how he is going to solve all of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new mostly silly chapter! Next chapter shouldn't take quite as long but I am trying to alternate stories when it comes to updating.

Ted contemplates hiding in his closet when he hears a knock on his apartment door.

 

Which is ridiculous. This is his home. He shouldn’t have to hide. He shouldn’t have to answer the door if he doesn’t want to. But he doesn’t want to be _rude_ to Justin. He doesn’t want Justin to feel like he is losing friends because he broke up with Brian. But why is Justin doing this? Where is this coming from? The logical side of Ted tells him he knows why Justin is doing this but the even MORE logical side of him asks him why a very young and handsome man like Justin Taylor would move on from Brian Kinney to Ted Schmidt.

 

“Ted? Are you in there? I saw your car,” Justin’s voice says from the other side of the door. 

 

Ted is running out of time. He needs to do some quick thinking. He can pretend he’s sick! That’s it! He can moan and groan and run to the bathroom every so often. Justin wouldn’t want to be around him for the night and Ted would have more time to figure out what the hell he is going to do about all of this.

 

So Ted, staggering to get the demeanor of his fake illness right, goes to the chained door and opens it just far enough to peek through. There he sees Justin, smiling that with that bright and happy smile, holding chocolates and a DVD case. This is worse than he thought and that gives him all the more reason to lie about being sick.

 

“Ughhhhh, Justin. Sorry, I haven’t been feeling well. May have ate something off at lunch but it’s probably a virus.”

 

Justin instantly becomes overly concerned and reaches under the chain to feel Ted’s forehead.

 

“You don’t feel warm. Maybe it is just something you ate and not something contagious.”

 

“I had a fever but it broke almost an hour ago. We should probably schedule for another time.”

 

“Ted, I just don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone when you are this sick. You need to have someone taking care of you. You _deserve_ to have someone taking care of you. I would be honored to be that person.”

 

“Oh. Thank you? But I don’t want you getting sick.”

 

“I have a strong immune system. Don’t worry about it.”

 

Ted realizes that his attempt to turn Justin away is pointless so he unchains the door and lets Justin in. As Justin walks past, he gazes at Ted adoringly, takes Ted’s arm, and leads him to the couch.

 

“Now I don’t want you moving an inch, Mr. Schmidt. You need to rest so just let me wait on you. Do you think you can keep anything down right now? I can make you some soup.”

 

“That’s okay, I’m fine.”

 

Justin looks around the room as though he is looking for some other way to wait on him. Ted is confused when he goes over to the bathroom but understands as Justin comes back out with the wastebasket to put right in front of him.

 

“There. In case you don’t make it to the bathroom in time.”

 

Justin sits next to him to stroke his hair and, alright, Ted can admit that it feels good despite the weirdness of all this. He is a gay man who doesn’t have the pick of anyone he wants, after all, and Justin is way out of his league. But when he sees Justin lean in to kiss his neck out of the corner of his eye, he remembers Brian. Brian, despite being a total asshole the majority of the time, was the one who got Stockwell to back off of more serious charges when Ted’s business crumbled down around him. Brian was the friend who had gotten him two jobs. The first one at Ryder when he was fired for watching gay porn at his previous job and, even better, the second job as CFO of Kinnetik. Brian had given him another chance, despite his addiction problems. Brian may act like a total cunt at times but he had trusted Ted when he told him about his cancer and treatment. They would go out after work once or twice a week for drinks at Woody’s, often just the two of them, and Brian had actually warmed up to him. He had warmed up enough to tell Ted about his heartbreak over Justin breaking up with him for someone else. Ted had come to consider Brian his close friend and here he was, about to get a hickey from Justin.

 

“Justin, stop,” Ted tells Justin as he lifts his face off of his neck.

 

Justin lifts his head, confused. He leans in to stroke Ted’s cheek and says, “What is it? You feel sick?”

 

“No. I mean, yes. It is probably something going around the office. Brian stayed home today. I went to visit him after work and he looked awful,” Ted tries to hint.

 

To his surprise, Justin just shrugs and goes back to petting Ted in adoration.

 

“Don’t you think you should check on Brian? I think he feels much worse than I do.”

 

Justin holds Ted’s cheek and makes Ted look him in the eyes. 

 

“I’m taking care of _you_ , not Brian. He isn’t my problem anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t wish him any harm and hope he has a speedy recovery, but he doesn’t come close to making the top of the list when it comes to my priorities. You, on the other hand, are a different story.”

 

Before Ted can get over his desperate confusion, Justin brings him in for a kiss.

 

And it’s a good kiss. Ted finds himself giving into it for a second since it has been a while since someone showed interest in him on a deeper level than a one night stand. But then he remembers what a shitty friend he’s being and pushes Justin away.

 

“Justin, I can’t. Brian is my boss and he’s my friend-”

 

“Yeah, some friend. He insults you on a regular basis.”

 

“That’s how Brian expresses affection. But those insults have been coming less and less anyway and we’ve become good friends. He took a chance on me. I’m not going to betray him by sleeping with the only man he’s ever loved in his life.”

 

Justin glares at him and tears are starting to leak out of his eyes. Ted feels incredibly guilty because he doesn’t want to hurt Justin but it is looking as though he has no choice. After Justin takes a couple of hitched breaths, he speaks.

 

“I don’t want you to ruin your friendship with Brian. I don’t mind you being friends with him. But he needs to understand that people move on in life. The fact that I have fallen in love with you, which I’m sure you have caught onto by now, is nothing personal against him. I don’t want to hurt him or anything. I didn’t get the rest of my stuff today because his car was still there and I figured seeing me might upset him But my undying feelings for you just happened. And if you would just give me a _chance_ , then that wouldn’t be a personal blow to him either. Brian needs to recognize something special when he sees it.”

 

“He did, Justin. He took a chance on you _because_ he knew how special you were to him. I’ve known Brian for years. NO ONE has ever caught his eye like you have. He loves you so much, even if he hasn’t said the words.”

 

“Well, I don’t love him! Not anymore! I love you! And I don’t care if he finds out about us. He’ll get over it eventually. He can’t fire you if you decide to be with me. He wouldn’t when he sees how perfect we are together!”

 

Ted gapes like a fish out of water. He has no idea what’s going through Justin’s head right now as he rants and raves over his love for him. He almost forgot how persistent Justin could be when he had his sights set on someone. He’ll need more time to strategize. He didn’t think it would be this hard to extinguish Justin’s feelings for him. 

 

Ted stands up and holds out his hand. Justin looks up at him reverently, laces his fingers with Ted’s, and stands up too.

 

“You’re emotional right now. You just broke it off with Brian and you need some time to think before you move on to someone else.”

 

“I don’t. I broke it off with him because I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

 

“As strange and flattering as that is, you don’t want this becoming a rebound relationship, do you? Take some time to think. I feel like once you do, you will realize that we’re not the most appropriate match.”

 

Justin stares at him for several seconds and Ted thinks he broke through to him. Then, Justin shakes his head and smiles.

 

“Sorry, I was just admiring how beautiful your eyes were again. They really are beautiful, Ted.”

 

Is Justin fucking with him? Seriously, what the hell-

 

“Don’t worry, I heard what you said. ‘You just broke up with Brian, I think you’re moving on too quickly, blahdy blah blah.’”

 

“Those weren’t my exact words but I’m glad you get the gist of them.”

 

“Yeah, I get the gist. The gist is that I am going to have to work harder to convince you how well we would work together and how much I care about you. I love you, Ted Schmidt. You need to realize that you deserve to be loved.”

 

“Uh, Justin-” but Ted is shushed with Justin’s lips on his.

 

Ted is in a state of shock so it’s Justin who ends his kiss. 

 

“Are you ready to watch the movie?”

 

“Actually, I’m still feeling really sick. I think it’s for the best that I go lie down.”

 

Justin looks away and nods, then starts to usher him to the bedroom.

 

“I’ll come with you, then.”

 

Ted immediately takes over the ushering duties and starts to lead Justin to the door.

 

“Justin, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I really am sick and I’m already worried you’ll catch what I have from kissing me-”

 

“I’ll always kiss you, Ted. No matter what.”

 

“Be that as it may, I think you should head back to…where are you staying?”

 

“Daphne’s,” Justin answers, then gets coy, “for now.”

 

It takes all of Ted’s strength to keep himself from banging his head against the wall.

 

“Great! Head back to Daphne’s and think on this. I’ll be fine. This is nothing I haven’t had before and I think the worst of it is over. I just want to get some rest so I can manage to go to work tomorrow.”

 

Justin sighs, defeated, then turns around to face Ted.

 

“Alright. If you think that’s for the best. But promise me that you will call if you need anything throughout the night. Anything at all.”

 

“Yeah, sure sure. Have a good-”

 

“PROMISE me, Ted. Say the words.”

 

Ted sighs, “Yes, Justin. I promise you that I will call you if I need anything.”

 

“No matter what it is,” Justin prompts.

 

“No matter what it is.”

 

Justin nods and brings Ted in for a hug.

 

“You really do deserve to be loved, Ted. And I’m going to prove it to you.”

 

Justin walks backwards so he can keep his eyes on Ted as he walks out the door. Ted waves goodbye and tries not to slam the door in Justin’s face. 

 

\-------------------------------------

 

Ted has trouble sleeping. He feels guilty over hurting Justin. He feels guilty over accepting not one, but two kisses from him when he had just seen Brian completely wrecked over the break-up just a few hours before. He felt worry and fear over the inevitability of Brian finding out. He hadn’t yet as far as Ted knew but Justin wasn’t being subtle about his feelings. If Justin didn’t get over this soon, he was going to blab something to someone or act all lovey-dovey this coming Friday at dinner. Maybe Ted could skip dinner for a while. Maybe he could find an activity going on at the same time and that way he would have an excuse. 

 

Morning ends up coming more quickly than he’d like and Ted gets ready for work. He doesn’t want to go but there’s an important presentation this morning and he can’t call out just because he’s too afraid to face Brian. So he drags himself out of bed, takes a shower, brushes his teeth, puts his suit on, skips breakfast because he’s too nervous to eat, and goes out the door. 

 

Brian is already there, acting like his normal dickish self. He does look a bit bashful and nervous when Ted passes his desk to get some papers and Ted feels for him. He knows that Brian can’t stand to be seen as vulnerable and Ted had seen him at his lowest yesterday. He wants to subtly let him know that things are fine but things are anything but fine. He’s can’t reassure Brian, as much as he wants to, when he’s a part of the problem. 

 

The presentation goes well and Brian is as charismatic as ever. They get Adidas to sign with them, which is huge. Cynthia orders food for the office to celebrate. That takes care of his lunch and he’s almost content while he sits at his desk with his pasta primavera, looking through some documents. Then, to his surprise, Brian comes in and sits in the chair across from him. Ted widens his eyes and tries to stay calm as he wipes his mouth with his napkin.

 

“Hi, Brian! How are you today?”

 

Brian shrugs and eats his meal. 

 

“Okay, I guess.”

 

“That’s…that’s good. I’m glad you were feeling up to making it in.”

 

“Didn’t want the place to burn down while I was gone.”

 

“Right.”

 

They sit there in silence for a few minutes and Ted starts to feel antsy. 

 

“So, did you need something?”

 

“I was just bored of sitting in my office by myself and didn’t want to sit with the interns. Decided to come in here instead. That okay?”

 

“Yeah, of course.”

 

“And…I wanted to,” Brian starts to say as he looks like he is about to have an aneurism, “ _thank you_. For not tiptoeing around me or mothering me like Michael was doing. It helped a little to keep things normal. So thanks.”

 

Damn everything to hell. Brian Kinney is fucking _thanking_ him and he doesn’t deserve it at all.

 

“It’s no problem. But Brian-”

 

“I’d appreciate if you didn’t say anything yet. As far as I know, you and Michael, and probably Ben, are the only ones who know. I don’t know who all Justin has told yet but I’d rather keep things quiet until I can figure out a way to…I don’t know,” Brian says as he shrugs helplessly. 

 

“Of course, Brian. I’m not going to say anything.”

 

To his surprise, Brian gives him a small smile. It’s basically a sucker punch to his conscience.

 

They sit there and eat their meals and Brian actually initiates a lot of the conversation by asking about Ted’s weekend. He even asks about the opera Ted went to go see on Saturday. Seriously, what had he done to deserve this? He knows he should tell Brian the truth and let him know that he isn’t interested in Justin but he’s too much of a coward to bring it up.

 

The conversation is interrupted when Cynthia comes in with a huge potted bouquet. 

 

“Well, Schmidt, I underestimated you. Looks like you have an admirer,” she says as she puts the flowers down on his desk, “Is he hot?”

 

Ted looks around and starts to panic. Brian just raises an eyebrow and smirks.

 

“Aw, Theodore has a boyfriend. Who is the lucky lad, Ted?”

 

“I have no idea! Oh, well. I’ll just put them over here and-”

 

“Here’s a _love_ letter,” Brian playfully mocks as he plucks out the envelope from the flowers and opens it. 

 

SHIT FUCK GOD DAMN IT FUCK.

 

Brian still has the smirk on his face when he unfolds the paper but the smirk turns into a frown when he starts to read what the note says. Ted feels like he is about to wet himself when Brian looks up to stare at him. He has never seen a more betrayed and enraged expression on anyone’s face in his entire life. 

 

“Brian, please, it’s not what you think! I don’t- It’s not…” but Ted trails off as Brian gets up to stand.

 

Brian looks as though he wants to beat the shit out of him and cry at the same time. Ted would probably let him. He feels awful and probably deserves whatever Brian has to dish out even though he doesn’t want any of this to be happening at all.

 

But all Brian does is pick up the flowers and throw them against the wall. The vase shatters and dirt flies everywhere. With one last glare, Brian storms out of the room and slams Ted’s office door. Cynthia stands there alternating her glances from Ted, to the door, to the flowers, then clears her throat.

 

“Well, I’m not cleaning that up,” she remarks, then leaves the room. She closes the door much more softly than Brian did.

 

Ted sighs and looks at the letter that is still sitting on his desk. He wants to rip it into shreds but he is curious to what the fucking thing says. It possibly just obliterated one of his friendships after all, so he should be privy to its content.

 

Dearest Ted,

 

I hope you are feeling much better today. I wish that I could have held you last night to make you feel better. Maybe soon? I thought these might make you feel better. They’re Begonia flowers. They symbolize desire, rich hidden treasures found by happenstance discovered on your path, and promises of sweetness and something rare. These flowers really spoke to me. I found you and fell for you quickly by happenstance and I will never regret that. I couldn’t uproot them because they are too beautiful and precious to end, just like our budding relationship. You are my treasure, Ted. My rare and sweet treasure However, I never want to hide you. I hope you feel the same way.

 

All my love and devotion,

 

Justin

 

Ted has never been more terrified to leave his office in his entire life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Good, bad, bizarre, or otherwise.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten years from now, Emmett might look back and realize that it wasn’t the best decision to let a depressed and very intoxicated Brian Kinney give him a driving lesson but oh well! You only live once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Back to my lighter story.

Emmett doesn’t go out to drink frequently by himself. But he has a new wedding under his belt for his blooming event planning business and he’s been busy preparing with the bride and groom. It’s nice to be around new people and unwind a little by getting a couple of cosmos at Woody’s after a hard day’s work. He’s gotten a couple of numbers, he’s flirted with the cute bartender, and it almost helps him get a certain closeted football player off of his mind. He’s on his second delicious treat to himself when Brian Kinney storms into the bar.

 

He can tell right off the bat that Brian is a man on a mission and that mission is to get wasted and then fuck anything with a cock. Of course, that is Brian’s mission at least once a week but that’s a decline from the pre-Justin days. It’s also a mission where he usually looks a bit happier than he does now. Emmett is about to go over and say hi, maybe offer to buy him a weaker drink, but he stops when the bartender hesitantly pours Brian a line of shots. Shit, it’s tequila. Brian and tequila never mix. That’s the reason why he never gets it. Emmett watches him down the four shot glasses then order two Jim Beams, which he also drinks quickly. Brian has to be upset about something. He needs to be a good friend. He needs to go over there, say, “Oh, Brian! Fancy seeing you here!” and try to get him in a better mood. He and Brian have had their differences but they’ve always had a respect for one another. He wants him to be okay.

 

So he walks over with the intent of seeing what is wrong with the man whom he considers a friend. He comes up behind him and puts his hand on his shoulder, only to get the violent reaction of, “Get the fuck off of me!” 

 

“Brian, it’s just me! I didn’t mean to startle you,” Emmett tells him, hands raised.

 

Brian just snarls at him and waves his hand for the bartender to come back over while Emmett takes the seat next to him.

 

“Brian, are you alright? You seem like you are in a bad moo-“

 

“What part of fuck off do you not get?”

 

“I’m just concerned.”

 

“Yeah, right. I bet you have all been laughing at me behind my back. Talking about what a loser I am. Well, fuck you! I don’t need any of you! Peter! Another Beam!”

 

“Brian…pardon me if I missed something, but I have no idea what you are talking about. At all.”

 

Brian finally turns to study him and Emmett must look truthful enough since Brian just shakes his head and turns away, only to look down at the new drink in front of him.

 

“I understand if you don’t want to talk. Obviously something is going on but I won’t force you to tell me anything. But let me know if there is anything I can do.”

 

Brian sneers and leans in so that he’s only inches from Emmett’s face.

 

“You can tell the Rosencrantz to your Guildenstern that he is _nothing_ to me. But hell, bravo to him for pulling off such a betrayal! If I ever wanted to know how Julius Caesar felt when Brutus betrayed him, I certainly know now.”

 

“Wow, two Shakespearean references. I’m still not sure who you are talking about though. Wait, is this person trying to kill you? Brutus murders Caesar, Brian.”

 

“I wouldn’t be surprised, Emmett. Nothing can surprise me anymore,” Brian mutters darkly.

 

“Right…Maybe you shouldn’t be drinking so much. Being this upset and pissed off plus drinking like a fish never equals out to something good. Let me call Justin so he can come and take you home.”

 

Brian gives him the most intense, heartbreaking look. Emmett immediately feels awful, even though he isn’t sure what he said that was so upsetting. He’s about to comfort Brian. Let him know that everything is going to be okay, no matter what is happening. Even though comforting Brian Kinney could easily get him a punch to the jaw, he moves in to try. Luckily, Brian throws his empty glass on the floor rather than at him. 

 

“I don’t want your fucking pity!”

 

Peter comes over, all muscley and adorable like he always is, and says, “Kinney, if you are going to act like that then do it at home and come back when you are in a better mood.”

 

“You owe me, Barton. I helped you move up so you could manage this place and this is how you talk to me? Who do you think you are? My mother?”

 

“If you are going to throw shit around my bar and throw a tantrum like a toddler then you deserve to be talked to like that. Want me to call a cab?”

 

“I can get myself home. Fuck you, Barton.”

 

Brian gets up and immediately starts to wobble.

 

“God, Brian. Did you drink even more before you came here?”

 

“What’s it to you? Get out of my way, Emmett. I guess I’m not welcome here.”

 

“Brian, you know I don’t mean that you can’t come back-“

 

But Brian holds a hand up, glares at the bartender, and starts to stagger away.

 

Peter watches him and turns to Emmett.

 

“You mind going with your friend so I know he gets back okay? He’s pretty drunk. If I would have known he had been drinking before he came in then Derek and I would have cut him off earlier.”

 

“Don’t worry about it, Peter. Brian hides his intoxication pretty well until he’s too far gone. And don’t worry about what he said to you. He’s always liked you so I know he’ll feel bad about it once he sobers up.”

 

“I’m a bartender, Emmett. We get yelled at all the time. Go catch up with him.”

 

Emmett quickly follows Brian outside and sees him fumbling for his keys. Emmett quickly grabs them and holds them behind his back.

 

“Ah ah ah! No driving for you, Mr. Kinney. I will be taking the wheel for the afternoon.”

 

Brian stares down at his hands as though the keys just disappeared, then looks at Emmett and puts two and two together. 

 

“Give them back. I’m fine.”

 

“Oh, I’m sure you are absolutely exquisite but I’ve always wanted to drive a classic car. That way I can feel like James Dean or Paul Newman.”

 

“You wear too much lycra for that to ever happen.”

 

“Then they should have worn more lycra to feel more like me! Now get in the car. Passenger side.”

 

Surprisingly, Brian doesn’t put up a fight and gets in. Emmett gets in the car and puts his seatbelt on.

 

“Do you even know how to drive a standard?”

 

Shit.

 

“No. Daddy had one but he didn’t want his sissy son to be seen driving his car. I didn’t even get my license until I was almost 28, you know that. But how hard can it be, right? I guess this is the day I’ll be getting a lesson.”

 

Emmett prepares for Brian to queen out and tell him to get out of his car before he wrecks it. But all Brian does is shrug and put his seatbelt on.

 

“Put the car in first gear and push down on the clutch. Then start the car.”

 

Emmett does what he’s told and starts the engine.

 

“Oh, it sounds so powerful! What next?”

 

“Lightly press on the gas and slowly release the clutch while you are doing that. Start out slow. I don’t want you fucking wrecking my car,” Brian slurs out as he lets his head fall against the window. Ten years from now, Emmett might look back and realize that it wasn’t the best decision to let a depressed and very intoxicated Brian Kinney give him a driving lesson but oh well! You only live once. 

 

“Take…take side roads. Don’t go on Main Street or Liberty Avenue. I don’t want you hitting anyone or stalling because you fuck up. Lucky there are no hills bet…between here and the loft,” Brian mumbles.

 

“Uh, Brian? Please don’t fall asleep while I am driving this car,” Emmett warns him. 

 

“You’re fine. Just go slow. To hell with anyone who honks. I’ll beat the shit out of them.”

 

“I’m sure you will.”

 

Emmett is surprised that he’s actually doing a good job. He translates Brian’s drunken pointers pretty well and shifts gears when needed. If Brian were sober, Emmett is pretty sure he would be very impressed by Emmett’s ability to quickly catch on. He would hide any pride behind insults but Emmett would probably know better and be able to see past the Kinney bullshit. 

 

He parks the car in Brian’s spot and Brian starts fumbling with the handles and saying, “Let me out! I want out!”

 

“Jesus, Brian. Hold on,” Emmett tells him as he unlocks the door.

 

Brian stumbles out of the car and Emmett rushes over to keep the asshole from embarrassing himself anymore. 

 

“You almost face planted. Let’s get you upstairs.”

 

Brian keeps one arm around Emmett’s shoulder as they go inside and head up on the elevator. Emmett unlocks the loft door and gets Brian sitting on the couch. He walks over to the fridge to get Brian a bottle of water. He walks back over to Brian to hand it to him and Brian takes it. Emmett’s just about to ask him if he needs anything else before he goes but Brian grabs his wrist tight and pulls him in.

 

“Did you know?”

 

Emmett is left confused from Brian’s question and painful expression. This question might just stem from the liquor and mean absolutely nothing but Emmett is curious so he answers.

 

“Know what?”

 

“Did. You. Know?”

 

“Brian, how am I supposed to answer if I don’t know what you are talking about?”

 

Brian snarls and spits out the most venomous explanation Emmett has ever heard.

 

“Did you know about your fucking ex being a heartless and backstabbing bastard?”

 

Emmett instantly has all these horrible scenarios pop into his head. Teddy has been doing so well. He really hopes that he hasn’t done anything to hurt that streak of luck and hard work.

 

“Brian, tell me what’s going on with Ted. Is he using again? Did he do anything illegal? I know you must be upset but please remember that he’s a recovering addict and has a problem. He has been clean for a year but things like this happen sometimes. Oh, Teddy-”

 

“He hasn’t reverted back into being a crystal queen,” Brian snarls but then takes a breath, “You really don’t know? He hasn’t been boasting about fucking me over?”

 

“What? No. Ever since you gave him a job at Kinnetik he’s been Team Kinney. I called you an asshole a few weeks ago and he jumped to your defense and told me what a great person you really were. He even defended you when Melanie started talking shit. You know how scary it is to argue with Melanie. It’s almost a sure thing that you will lose but Ted did it anyway. So no, Brian. He hasn’t been boasting about fucking you over in any way. I’m pretty sure it’s one of the things he never wants to intentionally do.”

 

“THEN WHY THE FUCK WOULD HE START UP SOMETHING WITH JUSTIN?!”

 

Emmett gapes at Brian, waiting for him to admit that he’s pulling a prank on him. Any second now, Brian is going to laugh and admit that he isn’t even drunk and that it’s all a part of his plan. But as Emmett keeps waiting for Brian to drop the heartbroken and enraged expression and come clean, he realizes that he isn’t faking it. So Emmett kind of does something horrible. He laughs.

 

“Why are you laughing? What’s so fucking funny? Fuck you, Honeycutt! Get out of my loft!”

 

Brian gets up and pushes Emmett towards the door but Emmett stands his ground and grabs onto Brian’s wrists.

 

“Brian, I’m only laughing because it must be a misunderstanding. I’m not laughing at you. Ted and Justin? Come on. Justin loves you. Those two have never been that close anyway.”

 

Brian scoffs and swallows back what might be a lump in his throat then goes to sit back down with his head in his hands. Emmett hesitantly goes to sit next to him too and waits for an explanation.

 

“I didn’t even suspect Ted. He came over yesterday and actually made me feel better. I thought he was my friend. I practically poured my goddamn heart out to him about Justin leaving me for someone else and he seemed sincere. I fucking thanked him for it today and this is what I get for it! I get my friend having sex, cuddling, and exchanging flowers with my boyfriend behind my back. I hate him so fucking much.”

 

“Wait, Justin left you? Brian, I’m so sorry. But-”

 

“Keep up! That happened two days ago and you still don’t know? Christ, I thought you were a gossip queen.”

 

“Well, no one bothers to tell me anything! Maybe the people who did know were waiting for you to break the news to your friends. Sorry I’m not a psychic! But apparently you aren’t either because I know Teddy wouldn’t get with Justin. He wouldn’t hurt you like that. And I don’t mean to put Ted down by saying this since I was with him after all and I do think that he’s a cutie, but don’t you think Justin and Ted are in different leagues when it comes to looks?”

 

“Justin is definitely out of Ted’s league. He could do so much better. But he’s sending him fucking flowers and telling him he loves him anyway. He fell out of love with me because he’s so in love with fucking Ted.”

 

Emmett is shocked to see Brian like this, to say the least. He usually witnesses Brian’s lust or famous indifference but he’s seen Brian angry and he’s seen him sad. But he’s never seen this extreme heartbroken jealousy in anyone, let alone Brian Kinney. Emmett has come to terms that this isn’t a joke Brian is playing. Brian honestly thinks that Justin and Ted are in love. The idea is absurd but Brian is so stuck on it that Emmett doesn’t see himself talking sense into Brian right now. So he tries to drop the subject.

 

“Do you want me to stay here with you for a while or do you want me to go home?”

 

Brian sighs.

 

“I don’t want you driving my car by yourself.”

 

“I don’t live that far away. I can walk.”

 

“It’s supposed to rain. You can stay here, I guess.”

 

Emmett knows that it is supposed to be sunny for the rest of the day but he doesn’t let Brian know that he’s onto his excuse to get Emmett to stay. He just sits down next to him and listens to Brian rant and rave and throw things around his loft. He ends up getting Brian to settle down long enough to drink some more water and eat some take out. Finally, Emmett is dismissed when Brian says, “I need to be alone. Can you go?” three hours later so Emmett tells Brian to call if he needs anything. Before he leaves, he looks back to see Brian slouched over on the couch, looking sad and alone. But he also knows that Brian will not stay defeated for long. Something like this might have him seeking revenge. Emmett knows he that he has to go warn Teddy now. And, while he’s at it, he’ll get to the bottom of what is going on between him and Justin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't yet, there is a poll I posted where you can vote for which of my fic ideas you want me to attempt next. Just click on my profile to find it listed with my stories. Please read and review!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ted tries to face is problems with Emmett by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told myself I was going to work on Feed & Extract but I was inspired to do another chapter of this. Enjoy!

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck,” Ted chants quietly from his office chair. 

 

He’ll have to come out eventually. It’s almost been four hours. He should have rushed after Brian when he read the note and told him that he wasn’t involved with Justin. But what could he say? He didn’t think, “Brian, don’t worry about me feeling anything for Justin. His feelings of intense love are unrequited!” would work. If anything, it could piss Brian off more. 

 

“You know, he left right after he stormed out of here. You can come out of your hiding spot.”

 

Ted looks up to see Cynthia leaning against the door frame with a smirk on her face. 

 

“This isn’t funny. Stop smirking.”

 

“I’m not smirking about Brian being pissed at you. I’m smirking about how you look like you are about to piss yourself.”

 

“This is bad. This is very bad,” Ted mutters as he gets up to pace a hole into the floor.

 

“Who were the flowers from? He wasn’t flipping his shit until he read the note so it has to have something to do with that.”

 

“No one. They were from no one.”

 

Cynthia looks skeptical and says, “Bullshit. But whatever. It’s not my problem. I should probably tear you a new one for getting Brian in a shitty mood but he left the office to do god knows what so his mood really isn’t affecting me. I just came in to tell you that you could stop being a coward now.”

 

Ted lets out a sigh.

 

“Thanks, Cynthia. I am just going to get the rest of my work done and go home. I’ll...I’ll figure out how to diffuse Brian.”

 

“You better. For your own sake.”

 

Cynthia leaves him in his office and Ted tries to get as much work done as possible. Maybe if he does the best that he can, Brian won’t hate him quite as much as he probably does now. 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Ted leaves work around 7 pm, keeps an eye out to make sure no hit men have been sent to take him out on the way to his car, and drives home.

 

Ted is in his apartment for five minutes before he hears a knock on the door.

 

He freezes. God, what if it’s Brian? What if it is someone he hired to dispose of him and make sure he’ll never be found? His mother will be so heartbroken. But the scariest possibility of all still hovers through his thoughts. The name that starts with a J and ends with an N. The one who has put him in this mess in the first place, despite his warm feelings and good intentions. 

 

Ted refuses to be afraid anymore. He refuses to be anything other than a man about this. He will face his boss, he will face the man who suddenly loves him, and, if it comes down to it, he will face the barrel of a gun pointing at him right between the eyes. If these past couple of years have taught him anything, they’ve taught him to face his problems rationally and peacefully, with the smallest amount of destruction as possible. 

 

So he straightens his shoulders, takes a deep breath, and takes a step towards the door.

 

“Who is it?”

 

“Yoohoo! It’s me, Emmett!”

 

Ted swings the door open and has never been so happy to see an ex-boyfriend in his entire life. 

 

“Oh Emmett, thank god it’s you! You don’t know how happy I am to see your beautiful and smiling face.”

 

Ted launches himself at his best friend and hugs him as hard as he can. He feels Emmett squirm uncomfortably and pat him on the back.

 

“Hi, Teddy. I was just wondering if I could come in for a little bit.”

 

“Of course, of course. Come in.”

 

Ted lets Emmett in and is about to completely unload about everything that has been going on. He knows he shouldn’t say anything, especially when Brian told him not to. He promised he wouldn’t. But that was before and this is now. He just really needs to talk to his best friend. He opens his mouth to tell Emmett everything, but Emmett speaks first.

 

“So I talked to Brian. I had to take him home from Woody’s after he threw a fit and stumbled out to his car. He was so drunk. He managed to teach me how to drive a stick though. Anywho, between his drunken ramblings and his rants on how much he hates you now, I got the impression that you have a new beau in your life?”

 

Fuck. Brian got to him. He has Emmett on his side now. Ted has no one. 

 

“It’s not what you think.”

 

“I was actually thinking that Brian has to be mistaken. I mean, no offense, but I don’t see Justin leaving Brian for you. Are you saying I’m wrong about that?” Emmett asks, confused.

 

“I don’t know, Emmett. I just don’t know.”

 

“Wait, what?! Are you fucking around with Justin Taylor?! Our Justin? _Brian’s_ Justin? Please tell me you aren’t using again. This is bad. Brian’s your _boss_ , Teddy! He’s so upset right now!”

 

“I haven’t done anything with Justin and I’m not using! Even when he kissed me I pulled myself away after getting over the shock! It’s flattering and if Brian had nothing to do with him I would probably give in but I haven’t because of that! I even turned off my phone last night so I wouldn’t have to see his texts today! That’s how sick I’ve been feeling about all of this!”

 

“Let me see your cell.”

 

“What? Why?”

 

“I have to see this to believe it so chop chop! Out with the phone.”

 

Ted pulls out his phone and turns it on. As soon as it powers up, chime after chime sounds out, indicating how many unopened texts he has. 

 

**13 unopened messages**

 

“Well, someone is Mr. Popular. Here, give it to me. I’ll read them,” Emmett demands as he takes Ted’s phone and starts to read the messages.

 

**09/13/2004 - 9:32 pm.**  
**I hope you feel better, baby.**  
**Call me if you need anything, okay?**  
**I’ll be there before you can finish**  
**singing O Mio Bambino Caro**

 

**09/13/2004 - 11:03 pm.**  
**Goodnight, my love.**  
**I’ll dream about you.**

 

**09/14/2004 - 9:12 am.**  
**Have a good day at work!**  
**Hope to hear from you soon!**

 

**09/14/2004 - 10:27 am.**  
**Babe, I just saw the cutest thing**  
**on my way to school today.**  
**Sending the pic now.**

 

**09/14/2004 - 10:28 am.**  
[](http://tinypic.com?ref=2m5jq86)

 

**09/14/2004 - 10:30 am.**  
**Cute, right?!?**

 

**09/14/2004 - 11:17 am.**  
**You aren’t allergic to**  
**any flowers, are you?**

 

**09/14/2004 - 12:43 pm.**  
**You are in for QUITE a**  
**surprise, Mr. Schmidt! <3**

 

**09/14/2004 - 3:22 pm.**  
**Hey, did you get the flowers?**

 

09/14/2004 - 5:10 pm.  
**Baby, you aren’t mad at me**  
**or anything are you?**

 

 **09/14/2004 - 6:04 pm**.  
[](http://tinypic.com?ref=2v99eyw)

 

 **09/14/2004 - 6:05 pm**.  
**Look at Daphne’s cat, Ted!**  
**Isn’t she gorgeous?**

 

**09/14/2004 - 7:01 pm.**  
**Ted, I’m really worried.**  
**Please send me a text back**  
**so that I know you’re okay.**

 

“...Are you sure that you didn’t program the wrong number under Justin’s name?” Emmett asks, pale from reading the persistent messages.

 

“Believe me, he’s just as obsessive in person,” Ted grumbles as he grabs his phone back.

 

“Well, we knew he was a bit obsessive when we first met him. Remember how set he was on Brian?”

 

“Yeah, but he was cute about it back then. What he’s doing now is…”

 

“Bizarre?”

 

“Yes. To say the least.”

 

“Why does he keep sending you cats?”

 

“Because of Lupe. Apparently owning one cat makes me the ultimate cat man now.”

 

“...Oh, Lupe! I forgot about her.”

 

“I would too if her food and water dish weren’t in my kitchen.”

 

“I still haven’t seen her. Does she ever come out for anyone?”

 

“Only for Justin. I hadn’t seen her in almost a month except when she would dash out of the closet to hide somewhere else but as soon as he came in, she was all over him.”

 

“Huh. Cute.”

 

“Lupe isn’t the problem though. Justin is the problem. What am I going to do?”

 

“Maybe I can talk to him. See what he’s feeling and thinking. We’re close and he’s never said anything about you in that way. Maybe he was afraid that I would feel weird about it but this is very out of character for him. I’m worried about his mindset and-”

 

Before Emmett can finish his sentence, the phone chimes again. The two of them look down and see that Justin has texted yet again. 

 

**09/14/2004 - 7:47 pm.**  
**Hey, I’m coming up the stairs now.**  
**Just want to check to see if you’re okay.**

 

“Shit shit shit shit! What am I going to do?”

 

Emmett looks around and points to the corner of the room.

 

“Quick! Hide behind that plant!”

 

“That won’t work!”

 

“Well, I don’t know!”

 

They are still bickering when they hear Justin knock on the door. 

 

“Should I answer?” Emmett asks him.

 

Ted lets out a sigh. 

 

“No. This is my battle to fight. Go sit on the couch, Emmett.”

 

“Teddy, you don’t have to do this-”

 

“I have to face this on my own. With your company. Ready to jump in at any moment.”

 

“Right. I’ll be here then.”

 

Emmett goes and sits down and Ted walks to the door where Justin’s knocking gets even more persistent and worrying. From the other side of the door, he can hear Justin whimpering, “Ted, please be okay!” So Ted decides not to keep Justin waiting anymore and opens the door.

 

The first thing he notices is Justin’s disheveled appearance and tears streaming down the boy’s face. Even though he is fucking pissed at him right now and, in all honesty, a little scared of him, he instantly feels bad. He watched this kid grow up into an intelligent and active man in their community so it’s hard not to get upset when Justin’s upset.

 

“Ted? O-Oh Ted!” Justin sobs out as he rushes in to pull him into a crushing embrace. 

 

Ted almost acts on instinct to comfort the boy but then he remembers that one small movement might lead Justin on more so he keeps his arms to his sides and waits for Justin to gather himself.

 

“Baby, I thought I lost you! I didn’t know what happened. My heart broke and my soul cried out at the mere thought of something bad happening to you!”

 

Ted risks leading Justin on by putting his hands on his waist so he can subtly rotate them. He looks at Emmett and sees that his friend is in flabbergasted over what he is witnessing.

 

“Well, I’m fine. Or as fine as I can be, considering that Brian absolutely hates me now.”

 

“As long as you’re alive and here, that’s all that matters,” Justin whispers in his ear, then nibbles on it.

 

“Justin, no! That’s...that’s very bad!”

 

“I do try,” Justin purrs as he bends down and licks up his neck.

 

“Justin, stop!” Ted yells at him as he pushes him away.

 

Justin stumbles backwards and looks at Ted with a confused expression with a dash of hurt.

 

“What?” Justin scoffs, trying to get past whatever is going on here.

 

“Do you know how much trouble I’m in with Brian right now? Do you know how heartbroken he is? He read the letter you sent with the flowers, Justin. Not only is he fucking devastated over you telling him you didn’t love him anymore and leaving him, but he feels so much betrayal over the assumption that we’re in a relationship when we’re not!”

 

“But we are in a relationship! Or we’re going to be at least! It’s early but there’s something there. Something lasting. Something significant. Can’t you feel it too?”

 

“No! Not really!”

 

“Oh, Ted, stop. And why was Brian opening my letter to you anyway? That’s a breach in privacy. I wouldn’t blame you if you contacted HR over it.”

 

“He-what-huh?-Justin, no! Stop changing the subject. This has got to-”

 

Before Ted can finish, Emmett sneezes. Justin turns at the sound of Emmett’s sneeze and glares.

 

“What is _he_ doing here?” Justin asks, suspicious.

 

“Hi, Baby! I haven’t seen you in over a week. How have you been?” Emmett asks as he stands up and smiles.

 

Justin gives him a bitchy once over, purses his lips, and replies, “Fine.”

 

 

“That-that’s great. We should get lunch tomorrow. You free?”

 

“No. I’m not free. In fact, I won’t be free for the next month. So sorry, but you’ll have to find another lunch buddy,” Justin snottily tells him as though being in the same room as Emmett personally offends him.

 

“Oh, well that’s a real shame. I’ve missed you a lot. Call me if you ever need to talk about anything at all, alright?”

 

“Yeah, I’m sure I’ll be picking up the phone and dialing your number any day now,” Justin says as he rolls his eyes. 

 

“Justin...did I do something?”

 

“I’m just a little upset that the ex is here when I am trying to have a meaningful conversation with the love of my life. I would never begrudge Ted of your friendship but some moments are just meant for the two of us.”

 

“Oh. Well, I’m sorry but I was here first.”

 

Jesus Christ. This has gotten out of hand. Emmett and Justin love each other. He didn’t want them to fight because of him. He needs to diffuse this for the night. Give the three of them a breather.

 

“Justin, Emmett had important things to talk to me about tonight. He’s having some drama going on in his own life and I need to be there for him.”

 

“Fine, I understand that,” Justin says as he goes down to sit. 

 

“Alone,” Ted reiterates as he grabs his arm to lead him to the door.

 

Justin lets out a sad sigh then looks up at Ted.

 

“When can I see you again? Please, Ted. We can meet anywhere you want.”

 

Ted glances over to Emmett who shrugs. He shouldn’t meet Justin but maybe if he has some sort of control in this he can get Justin to understand that they should remain friends.

 

“We can meet at Woody’s tomorrow around 7. We can talk about what is and what isn’t okay. I want to be friends. You know that. Just...calm down with the texts and visits and like I said, think hard on whatever feelings you are having-”

 

“Yes, dear,” Justin says smoothly.

 

Before Ted can even try to continue, Justin brings him in for a powerful kiss. He feels Justin’s tongue nudge at his lips. He involuntarily complies with its command for him to open them and let Justin in. Why is he so stupid? He’s being a tease but Justin is so hot but he’s apparently also batshit crazy and then there’s Brian who must be incredibly into batshit crazy if he kept Justin around for so long and was so heartbroken when Justin left- 

 

“Uh hem!” he hears Emmett exaggeratedly clear his throat.

 

Ted pulls away and manages to keep out of reach as Justin tries to follow his lips. 

 

“Go back to Daphne’s. Maybe see what she thinks about this.”

 

“She knows. She thinks that there’s something wrong with me,” Justin replies innocently.

 

“Don’t you think the fact she said that should tell you something?”

 

“No. It just tells me that she just needs to get to know you so she’ll understand why I’m so crazy in love with you,” Justin says as he nuzzles his shoulder.

 

“Alright, go on. I’ll see you tomorrow and we can talk. Rationally talk,” Ted tells him hastily as he pushes Justin away.

 

“Bye, baby. I love you.”

 

“Seriously, Justin. Go home!”

 

“Aw, Lupe wants to say goodbye!”

 

Ted looks at his traitor cat approaching Justin to rub against his legs. Justin picks her up and Ted can hear her purring from a few feet away. He glares at her and she stares at him cross eyed, which is not a change from her normal appearance at all. 

 

“Your daddy says I have to go now, Lupe. I know you’ll miss me. I hope we will be seeing a lot more of each other soon.”

 

Justin puts Lupe down and she sits by Justin’s feet as he gets ready to say goodnight.

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Ted. I can’t wait,” Justin tells him sincerely.

 

“Right. Well, off you go.”

 

“Bye, Justin!” Emmett calls out. Justin pointedly ignores him.

 

Ted pushes Justin out the door and shuts it behind him. As he leans against the door in exhaustion, he looks down at Lupe who realizes that he is not Justin thus he is not a friend. She dashes into the closet and Ted suspects he may see her in a few weeks. 

 

“Well, that was even weirder than I expected,” Emmett admits as he sits back down on the couch. 

 

“What the fuck am I going to do?” Ted asks his friend as he sits down next to him.

 

“Have Justin institutionalized?”

 

“I don’t have that kind of power over his well-being.”

 

“...Marry Justin and have him institutionalized? He would go for it.”

 

“Shut up, Emmett.”

 

“You need to talk to Brian.”

 

“He will slaughter me on the spot.”

 

“He needs to know that there is something wrong with Justin.”

 

“Is there though? Maybe he just really, really...really likes me.”

 

“Teddy, I’m not saying that he doesn’t, but he is acting crazy! This isn’t like him at all! Something’s off.”

 

“I know that. But I don’t know what Brian is going to be able to do about it.”

 

“I don’t know either. But we’ll get down to the bottom of this together. We always manage to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read and review!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emmett persuades Brian to come with him to Woody's and Brian takes things into his own hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my longest chapter yet. No cats in this one but it does feature Lionel Richie so I hope that makes us even.

Brian has to stop himself from telling security to not let Ted into the building.

 

He hates him. He hates him so fucking much. But the reason he hates him has nothing to do with Kinnetik. It has nothing to do with his finances. Ted didn’t do anything illegal. He has to keep telling himself that to keep from firing the backstabbing asshole. 

 

When Justin told him he fell in love with someone else and fell out of love with him, it fucking destroyed him. He didn’t think something like that would hurt him so much, but it did. He embarrassed himself in front of Michael, Emmett, and everyone at Woody’s yesterday. He hates the fact that he broke down over it in front of Michael and threw a drunken tantrum at Woody’s. But most of all, he hates that he opened up to fucking Ted Schmidt. He hadn’t been as embarrassed over that at first. He had been grateful when Ted had kept quiet when Brian told him about his cancer and they had grown pretty close because of that. He didn’t mind telling Ted how he felt over getting dumped. Besides Justin, Ted had been the person he had seen the most of in the past several months. Not that Brian would ever admit it, but Ted was giving Michael a run for his money when it came to who his closest friend was. He thought Ted felt the same way.

 

Apparently not.

 

Well fuck him. He’ll just speak to him when it comes to business. That’s all he’ll fucking get. Brian will probably have to skip out on dinners for a while but that’s fine. He put on a couple of pounds so he should be avoiding Debbie’s carbfests anyway. With Brian out of the way, they will be able to coo and congratulate the new couple and not have to give him looks of mocking pity.

 

Brian forces himself to take a few deep breaths before he starts preparing for the staff meeting. He can’t be a total cunt. It isn’t professional and it will show Ted how affected he is by what’s going on. He’ll be fine. He’s always been fine and fucking Ted Schmidt is not going to be one of the reasons why he isn’t any longer. Fuck him.

 

But why the fuck would Justin fall for fucking Ted?!

 

Ted. Ted Schmidt. Dorky, clumsy, recovering crystal addict Ted Schmidt. The man was obsessed with OPERA music, for god’s sake. And, while he wasn’t ugly or anything, he certainly wasn’t a stud. He and Justin had never even been close! While Brian and Ted had formed a good bond, Justin and Ted certainly hadn’t. Why, out of every gay man in Pittsburgh, did Justin fall for Ted Fucking Schmidt? “He’s so much better. For me anyway.” Those fucking words came out of Justin’s mouth and latched themselves onto Brian’s heart. His mind had been filled with possibilities when it came to what type of guy Justin fell so hard for. Was it another artist, talented and pretentious, filled with romantic words and youth? Was it a handsome stud from Babylon? One who wanted more than the thumpa thumpa that the dance club had to offer? Maybe a medical student he met on a check-up or an older but suave business man traveling through Pittsburgh. Not once, even for a millisecond, did he suspect that Justin’s new love was his flawed and ordinary CFO. Fuck him. Fuck both of them.

 

It was a good thing that he wasn’t going to let it get to him anymore. It might make things tough and awkward at work. Probably at Debbie’s too. That’s why he had to skip out on it. Fuck, he didn’t even want to think about going to dinner in a couple of days. Then again, maybe he should. Prove to everyone that he didn’t give a shit. Because he didn’t. He was fine now. He was over it.

 

And he shows that by _accidentally_ knocking Ted’s coffee into his lap with a mountain of folders as soon as he stands at the head of the conference table.

 

“Oh. I’m sorry, Theodore. Did I hurt you?” Brian questions Ted very sincerely in response to his yelp.

 

“Don’t...don’t worry about it, Bri. It’s been sitting out for a while so it wasn’t too hot,” Ted tries to assure him.

 

Damn it.

 

Ted seems to suck it up throughout the meeting so Brian does the same and gets on with it while he interrupts Ted everytime he tries to bring something inane up.

 

Despite the concerned looks Cynthia and the rest of their team are giving him and Ted, Brian doesn’t think that they’ve caught on to the animosity. How could they when he’s mostly keeping his cool? He gets his point across for what they need to accomplish by Friday and then they are on their merry way.

 

As Brian starts to put his papers back into his briefcase, he notices that Ted is still in the room. He won’t say a word. He will act like he isn’t even there. He can run a business like this. He can have Cynthia be his go-between until-

 

“Brian, please talk to me.”

 

Brian has always been a man who sticks to his principles. He doesn’t believe in violence unless it is absolutely called for so, as much as he wants to, he can’t punch Ted. But he sure as hell doesn’t have to talk it out either. 

 

So he walks past him. Brian thinks he makes his point clear. But maybe Ted is just an idiot because the fucker has the nerve to grab his arm. 

 

“Brian, I really have to talk to you!”

 

Brian looks down at the treacherous hand and slowly lifts his gaze up to reach Ted’s eyes. He knows his glare is cold and merciless. Usually that glare can get people to back off pretty quickly. It almost always got Ted to back off. But not this time. While Brian sees the man flinch, much to his liking, Ted holds his ground. He’d almost be impressed if the situation were different. 

 

“I know you don’t like me very much right now-”

 

Brian can’t help but humorlessly scoff at that. 

 

“Okay. I know you hate my fucking guts right now. But I swear to you that I want to fix this.”

 

That’s when Brian can’t hold his silence anymore.

 

“Fix this? There’s nothing to fix, Theodore.”

 

Ted starts to look hopeful so Brian yanks that hope out from under him.

 

“You are absolutely nothing to me. You aren’t one of my close friends. You aren’t a drinking buddy. You are barely an acquaintance. We’ll keep working together. We have a business to run. But if you say one word to me that deals with anything outside of Kinnetik finances, then you’re fired. Do you understand me?”

 

Teds eyes start to get teary and he starts to stammer.

 

“B-Brian, please! I don’t want you feeling like this. I care about you and I don’t want any of this! Listen, Justin and I aren’t-”

 

“Strike one,” Brian informs him, deadly calm in his conviction.

 

“Listen, Justin is acting incredibly odd, to say the least. If you could meet me at Woody’s around 7 then you would realize that this isn’t what you think it is,” Ted pleads with him. Brian almost feels a twinge of sadness for his desperate ex-friend.

 

Almost.

 

“Strike two.”

 

Ted nods, completely dejected, and heads back to his office. Brian watches him until the door closes. It’s only then he goes back to work.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brian was relieved that Ted avoided him for the rest of the day. He doesn’t know what he would have done if Ted tried to approach him again, business talk or not. Ted must have some self-preservation in him after all.

 

As he returns to the loft, it feels empty. It has felt empty since Sunday but now it feels like that even more so. He gives it a once over and sees that Justin’s canvases and easel are gone. Justin’s keys are also on top of his desk. Brian feels his heart clench and, even though a note couldn’t make him feel any better at this point, he wishes that Justin would have left one anyway. Seeing everything gone after all this time without a word makes everything feel so cold.

 

He can’t feel like this anymore. If this ache and resentment keeps up, it’ll kill him. He knows he should get back into his routine. It’s Wednesday and he hasn’t fucked anyone since that trick in the bathroom at Woody’s on Sunday. He hasn’t even fucking jerked off since. Fuck, it’s been three days. Jesus Christ. Besides that time during his battle with cancer, he hasn’t gone three days without coming since Justin got bashed-

 

Shit. He hates thinking about that. Especially now.

 

He needs to get back out there and fuck. He needs it for his own piece of mind. Plus he needs to focus on beating Brandon. He wanted to prove that he was still the top stud and he’s wasted three days wallowing. 

 

But then he vaguely remembers what Ted said about being at Woody’s this evening. He could prove that he isn’t affected by what’s going on by taking every hot guy he sees into the bathroom stalls but the idea of Ted and Justin being in close proximity to him makes him limp. He could wait a couple more hours and head to Babylon. Yeah. That’s what he’ll do. He needs to check the books anyway plus make sure everything is on the up and up. After that, he can spend the rest of the night in the back room. 

 

But there’s nothing to do until then. Until then, he’s alone with his thoughts and his thoughts aren’t very fun right now.

 

He’ll just call an escort service. Maybe he can call Custom Fantasy and see if that blonde kid is still working for them. 

 

It’s when he picks up the phone to dial that he hears a knock at the door. He feels an irrational anger pulse through his body. He has plans and only has so much time to himself until he calls for a trick and they arrive. It better not be Ted. If it’s Ted-

 

“Brian, are you there? It’s me, Emmett!”

 

Brian lets out a groan and forces himself to get up and answer the door. And what do you know? There’s Emmett standing there with a nervous and fake smile on his face.

 

“Hi, sweetie! How are you feeling?”

 

“Just peachy. Fuck off.”

 

“Now Brian, is that anyway to talk to a close friend who just wants everything to be okay for all involved?” Emmett asks as he walks past him and removes his scarf.

 

“I’m busy. Fuck off.”

 

“No. Now go get your wallet. You, sir, are coming to Woody’s.”

 

“No, I’m not.”

 

“Yes, you are.”

 

“Fuck you, Emmett. I know Ted told you something-”

 

“Brian, I’m not here to defend Ted. Okay, I am partly. But defending him and saying that he isn’t interested in Justin like that isn’t going to help things, nor will you even believe me.”

 

“Like I would believe that Ted wasn’t interested. He’s Justin, Emmett. _Justin_. You know that.”

 

“Yes, yes, who could resist the wonderful Justin? I thought you would say that. That’s why I won’t try to convince you with words. You need to see them interact to believe it. So if you would just come with me-”

 

“I said no, Emmett!”

 

“Brian, I think that there is something wrong with Justin. Like, seriously wrong.”

 

“What the hell are you talking about?”

 

Brian doesn’t want to care. He really doesn’t. But he does. He cares too much when it comes to Justin.

 

“I think he’s having some sort of breakdown. He’s acting downright bizarre. I don’t know how to help him.”

 

Brian wants to force more information out of Emmett. He wants him to say what’s been going on. But he can’t. He can’t care.

 

“Well, Justin is a big boy. He’ll have to figure it out for himself,” Brian forces out.

 

Emmett shakes his head, “I don’t think he’s capable of making decisions. There’s something severely wrong. He needs your help.”

 

“No, he doesn’t. I’m not involved with him anymore. You should be telling Ted all of this. Not me.” Brian quietly admits, as much as it pains him to do so.

 

“Brian,” Emmett says softly as he puts a hand on the back of Brian’s neck, “Do you really think Ted Schmidt is the best man to take care of someone who might be psychologically disturbed?”

 

The thought of it gives Brian shivers but he’s still not buying it.

 

“Justin may have bad taste but he is fine and normal.”

 

“He isn’t.”

 

“You must have a low opinion of Ted if you think he can’t handle Justin having a breakdown because-”

 

“This isn’t about Ted. Not really. It’s hard to explain. You have to come and see it for yourself. Please, Brian. Just try.”

 

Brian isn’t sure why Emmett has some strange ability to break through to him. Maybe it’s the desperate look in his eyes or the fact that Ted alluded to something similar before Brian cut him off. Even if Justin and Ted are involved, he doesn’t want any problems that Justin develops to be ignored. 

 

So Brian sighs, looks Emmett dead in the eye, and says, “Let me get my coat.”

 

Emmett looks surprised that his persuasion actually worked but then nods solemnly. Brian gets his things together and follows Emmett out the loft door. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Justin taps his fingers on the table as he waits anxiously for his greatest love. Ted told him to be here at 7 but he’s been here since 5:30. He knows that’s a bit early but he kept thinking, “What if Ted is here early too?” What if the man arrived at 6:45 or even 6:30? Justin just wanted to make sure they spent every possible second together. He loved him so much. He felt butterflies in his stomach every time he even thought of the man. Soon, they would be reunited once again.

 

Justin giggles to himself with glee and he doesn’t even mind the strange looks he gets.

 

He’s been getting a lot of strange looks lately. He feels sorry for those people. They probably haven’t had an intense and epic love like he has with Ted. 

 

Ted….

 

Ted Ted Ted.

 

He is so ridiculously in love with him. This has to be the kind of love that lasts forever. Despite his very strong feelings for the man, he hasn’t really talked to anyone else about it. The only people who know are Daphne and Ted himself. Then there’s Emmett. Justin knows he’s aware of some of what’s going on. He better be aware. He knows that Ted and Emmett broke up over a year ago but Justin can’t help but feel a little threatened by the man’s presence. It’s a shame. He considers Emmett one of his close friends. Maybe one day, when Ted and Justin were happily married and raising Lupe, he would let his insecurities go when it came to Emmett Honeycutt. 

 

But for now, he needed to be on his guard. Until Emmett completely accepted their relationship, or at least until he found a lover of his own, Justin wouldn’t be able to help but be a bit weary of him. 

 

He expressed his concerns to Daphne and she just looked at him bewildered and shook her head. Okay, Justin is aware how unexpected his feelings for Ted are, but he expected his best friend to be a little bit more supportive. He still remembers how she acted when he first told her about the deepest feelings that he’s ever felt three days ago...

 

_“Are you going to tell me why you are moving out of Brian’s now?”_

 

_Justin sighed happily, put down his things, and twirled around Daphne’s living room._

 

_After he stopped twirling, he turned to look at his friend only to see her raising an eyebrow at him. It’s strange. How could a romantic like Daphne Chanders not be able to tell when a man found the love of his life?_

 

_“Daphne...Have you ever wondered what it’s like to realize who your true soul mate really is?”_

 

_“Umm...not really. I mean, I imagine meeting a guy who becomes really important to me but-”_

 

_“Daphne, please, I’m talking.”_

 

_Daphne gestures for him to go on so he continues._

 

_“It’s crazy. It’s absolutely crazy. All this time and I didn’t realize that this beautiful and perfect man right in front of me was the love of my life.”_

 

_“You mean Brian? I thought you came to that conclusion after the first night he took you home.”_

 

_Justin almost scoffs at her first guess but he stops himself. He has to remember he led himself to believe that for the longest time as well._

 

_“Not Brian, silly. Would I be moving out of the loft if I decided he was the love of my life?”_

 

_“I guess not...Look, I know he’s been frustrating you lately but the two of you are so epic! Make him listen. Make him sit down and talk to you about this. Compromise-”_

 

_”None of that matters anymore, Daphne. I care enough about Brian to realize that he needs to let me go for his own good. And for mine. Things are so much better this way. I’m free to be with my dearest love and Brian is free to do whatever he wants to. It’s a win-win.”_

 

_”Wha-Are you-,” Daphne stutters but then sighs in defeat, “Fine. It’s not Brian. Then who is it?”_

 

_Justin felt those butterflies enter his stomach again and he squealed in delight. He hopped onto Daphne’s couch while Daphne kept staring at him, very confused._

 

_“Justin-”_

 

_“His wonderful name is...Ted Schmidt.”_

 

_He waits for Daphne to clap with excitement and tell them how perfect they would be together. She must need to get over the shock first because he keeps having to wait. Finally, she opens her mouth to speak._

 

_“Ted? Brian’s friend? The one who works at Kinnetik?”_

 

_“That’s the one,” Justin sighs dreamily._

 

_“...Seriously?”_

 

_“I know! It’s absolutely incredible, isn’t it?”_

 

_“That’s one way to describe it, I guess,” Daphne mutters, “Justin...are you sure this isn’t just...I don’t know, a crush or something? Maybe since you have been pissed at Brian, you are trying to find someone who you see as a reliable person. Besides, he’s Brian’s friend! Brian’s his boss! How are you-”_

 

_“I’m in love with him, Daphne,” he tells her sternly, “Madly and irrevocably in love with him. You need to know how important he is to me. He is my other half. I need you to be okay with this. Don’t make me choose between the two of you.”_

 

_Daphne blinks a few times and hesitantly nods. He can tell that she’s still confused. He’ll give her time. But he knows she’ll eventually come around completely. They’ve been best friends for years. Justin finding the man who he is going to grow old with won’t change that._

 

Justin shakes himself out of the flashback and looks towards the entrance. It’s 6:50 and Ted still isn’t here. Logically, he knows that Ted still has ten more minutes before 7 o’ clock comes along. But God, can’t he just be here now?

 

At 6:53, he does see very familiar faces but neither one of them belong to his precious Ted. Instead, the faces belong to Brian and Emmett. Great. 

 

No matter. Ted will be here soon and they can just ignore them. Surely their friends would understand that they didn’t want to be interrupted on their first date. 

 

“Justin! Fancy seeing you here!” Emmett says as he drags Brian over to the table. 

 

Justin is able to take his mind off of Ted enough to pay attention to the unwelcome visitors at his table. Emmett is the most obvious, with his floral shirt and tight pants. Not to mention how overly enthusiastic and chipper he is. Emmett usually is enthusiastic and chipper, but he’s coming off as a bit forced. It’s unbecoming. So he turns to Brian. Brian had been staring intensely at him but after Justin gives him his attention, he immediately looks away and stares down at the floor. Justin isn’t completely stupid. He knows that he hurt him pretty badly. In hindsight, he could have been kinder when he broke things off. But he had been so excited to move on to Ted that he didn’t take Brian’s feelings into consideration. He should probably play nice now.

 

“Hi, Brian. How are you?”

 

Brian looks up and, if Justin forces himself to concentrate for long enough, he can see the deep pain in Brian’s eyes. But then Brian shrugs.

 

“Fine.”

 

Emmett glares at Brian and turns to Justin.

 

“Don’t listen to him. He’s not fine. He’s-”

 

“Emmett, I’m fine!” 

 

“See, Emmett? He’s fine. He always is. Now if you two could go, I see my man walking through the door,” Justin says as he makes his way between them and towards his precious Ted.

 

Justin can’t believe how lucky he is. How lucky can one guy be? God. Ted is so fucking beautiful. His sense of fashion is absolutely impeccable, with his slightly too large olive green polo shirt and his khaki pants that cut off just a little too soon so they can show off the purest and whitest socks Justin has ever seen. If anyone ever thinks that Ted is the lucky one, they would be very mistaken.

 

“Hello, my love,” Justin purrs into Ted’s ear and kisses him on the cheek. In the distance, he can hear a chair fall over and Emmett say, “Brian, stop!” Justin can’t be bothered with that now. Not when Ted is here. 

 

“Justin,” Ted replies cordially, “Let’s go sit down.”

 

As they walk, Ted stops in front of Brian and Emmett and says, “Hey guys! I’m glad you both took me up on my invitation! Wanna sit down with us?”

 

“No,” Brian answers with no room for argument.

 

“Sweetie, come on. Justin and Ted are our _friends_ ,” Emmett urges him with a hand already grabbing his arm.

 

“Ted, I don’t think it’s the best idea we have anyone else sitting with us right now. Don’t you want to alone with me?” Justin pleads.

 

“Uh…” Ted trails off.

 

“Oh, Justin! Are you trying to get rid of us?” Brian says, bouncing back from his bitterness. 

 

“Yes.”

 

Justin may as well be honest about it. He needs to put his relationship with Ted as his first priority.

 

“Well, too bad. Theodore already invited us to to sit with you all.”

 

Justin looks to his wonderful Ted for guidance but Ted just smiles at their so-called friends and sits down. 

 

Justin rushes over so he can sit the closest to Ted because like hell is he going to let Brian or _Emmett_ sit next to him. Justin hugs his arm close and kisses his shoulder after they’re all settled. Ted seems as if he’s trying to pull away but Justin will never let him go. He just nuzzles into his bicep and holds on tighter.

 

Justin steals a glance across the table, mainly to check out his potential competition, but he sees Brian there too. Brian keeps looking at him. It’s unnerving. Emmett is looking at Ted with desperate eyes and Justin can see that he and Ted are having a silent conversation. He doesn’t like that. 

 

“So what brings you here tonight, Emmett?” Justin asks him as he sits back up but keep Ted’s hand clutched in his.

 

“Oh! Well, Teddy here mentioned that the two of you were going to be here so we wanted to spend time with two of our close friends and be supportive. Plus, karaoke night is tonight. Brian and I decided to come and watch the local talent, didn’t we?”

 

“Yeah sure,” Brian dismisses, his eyes still on Justin and Ted.

 

Justin is about to respond but Peter gets up on the small stage and commands for the bar’s attention.

 

“If I could have everyone’s attention please! We’re running fifteen minutes late but it’s time for Karaoke Wednesday! Some of you put your names and song choices in early so you all will get to go first. Anyone who wants to get up and show off their talent can come up to Otto here and pick something out of the book. Let’s all try to be nice and supportive. Remember how hard it is to get up on stage and sing in front of a crowd. So, without further ado, I want to welcome our first performer of the night! He’s cute, he’s blonde, and there are three things he loves more than anything: The Powerpuff Girls, Painting, and...Ted Schmidt? Alright. Uh, please welcome to the stage: Justin Taylor!”

 

Justin lets out a squeal and takes Ted’s cheeks into his hands so he can kiss him. He’s so immersed in the wonder that is Ted that he doesn’t even notice Emmett’s look of shock or Brian’s look of pure devastation.

 

“This one’s for you, baby,” Justin whispers in his bound to be future husband’s ear as he gets up and walks towards the stage. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Oh my god...” Ted mumbles as he puts his head into his hands. This is even worse than he imagined how tonight would go. God, Brian really was going to murder him now. 

 

“Well, this evening has taken a strange turn,” Emmett says nervously as he glances back and forth between Brian and Ted. Brian glares at him and Ted slowly drags his hands down his face.

 

“Brian, you have to believe me. I don’t want this. I don’t want Justin like that at all. You have to believe me, please!” Ted moans out.

 

“Better quiet down, Theodore. Your _lover_ is on stage,” Brian spits out as he gets up and storms over to the bar.

Ted looks to Emmett for guidance but Emmett just helplessly shrugs.

 

“Emmett, please! You have to talk to him!”

 

“Alright, alright! Let’s give him a minute to himself and then I’ll go over-” Emmett starts to say but is stopped by the sound of Justin’s voice.

 

“Hello, everyone! I hope you are all well tonight. This song is dedicated to the love of my life. I would have chosen an Opera song, he’s such a fan, but Otto didn’t have any of those. So this is the next best thing. It really represents my feelings for my precious life partner. I hope you all enjoy it. But especially you, Ted. This is “Hello” by Lionel Richie.”

 

I've been alone with you  
Inside my mind  
And in my dreams I've kissed your lips  
A thousand times  
I sometimes see you  
Pass outside my door  
Hello!

 

“Wow, I didn’t expect him to have such a rich baritone voice. He’s so talented,” Emmett admires adoringly.

 

“Emmett, really?” Ted grumbles.

 

“Well, it’s true!”

 

“Go over to the bar and keep an eye on Brian. Something needs to change.”

 

As Emmett gets up to go to the bar, Ted has no choice but to listen to the rest of the song.

 

You're all I've ever wanted  
And my arms are open wide  
'cause you know just what to say  
And you know just what to do  
And I want to tell you so much  
I love you…

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brian tries to block out his Sunshine’s beautiful voice. He loves the sound of it but it hurts to hear the words directed to someone else. He’s never been a Lionel Richie fan but he’s sure he’ll hate him with all of his being from this day forward.

 

“Another beam, Derek,” Brian mumbles and waits for his glass to be filled.

 

Derek looks at him and then directs his stare to the stage.

 

“You alright?”

 

Brian looks up at Derek and glares. It gets Derek to go back to his job.

 

I long to see the sunlight in your hair  
And tell you time and time again  
How much I care  
Sometimes I feel my heart will overflow  
Hello!

 

He yearns to run his fingers through Justin’s hair in the sunlight once more. But it will never happen again. There’s no turning back from this. He won’t even be able to be friends with him or Ted for a very long time. 

 

He risks a glance behind his shoulder and sees Ted sitting there. He wants him to hurt. He at least wants to make him feel uncomfortable. He just doesn’t know how.

 

“Brian, are you okay?” Emmett asks, his voice filled with concern. 

 

“Go away, Emmett,” he replies to shoo him off.

 

Emmett lets out a sigh.

 

“Alright. I’m going to be sitting right on the other side of the bar. I’m still taking you home after you leave. I don’t care whether you like it or not,” Emmett informs him as he slides down a few seats.

 

Brian racks his brain and tries to come up with some sort of revenge. He doesn’t want to be petty and fire him, at least not yet. Believe it or not, Ted is actually good at what he does. He could try to buy out the Pittsburgh Opera House, tear it down, and make it into a parking lot. No, that would take too long. It could stay on his list though because that really was a good idea to piss off his ex-friend. No, he needed something with faster results.

 

Brian glanced over to his right and saw Emmett sipping on his Cosmo. It was then he knew what he had to do.

 

I've just got to let you know  
'cause I wonder where you are  
And I wonder what you do  
Are you somewhere feeling lonely?  
Or is someone loving you?

 

Brian approached Emmett, spun his bar stool around and stood him up.

 

“Brian! Are you wanting to go already? Please, let’s talk to-”

 

But Brian doesn’t let him finish. How could he when he already had his lips on his?

 

Tell me how to win your heart  
For I haven't got a clue  
But let me start by saying I love you

 

Brian kisses Emmett with every bit of passion he can muster. He holds him close and gently brushes his tongue against the man’s lips. Brian knows that Emmett has never been one to pull away from a good kiss, or a good cock for that matter, so Emmett lets Brian’s tongue in and hesitantly puts his arms around Brian’s shoulders. To show how fucking romantic he can be, he even dips Emmett before pulling away for air. He looks into Emmett’s dazed eyes and sees the moment where the man becomes coherent. 

 

“Brian, what the hell are you doing?!” Emmett whispers to him urgently as he waves off whistles from the other patrons at the bar. 

 

“Doing what I should have done a long time ago.”

 

“Doing what you should have...what?”

 

“Pissing off Ted and Justin.”

 

Emmett looks confused at first but then gets what Brian is saying and widens his eyes.

 

“Brian, no. I’m not going to be your pawn so you can gain some sort of-”

 

“I won’t be the only one who gains from this. Remember who I am, Honeycutt. Remember how much business I give you. Think of how many wealthy clients I can refer to you.”

 

He briefly sees the money signs in Emmett’s eyes but then Emmett shakes his head.

 

“I’m sorry, Brian. I know you have let me plan all of your events but-”

 

“I’ll take you on a vacation. Anywhere you want to go,” Brian offers.

 

“...Anywhere?”

 

“Yes. And all you have to do is pretend to be my partner,” Brian concludes.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, so Emmett knows that he should let Brian down easy. Or give him what he deserves for wanting him to do this and tell him to go to hell. But Brian has had a shitty couple of days. He can see how desperate Brian is to stop being the kicked horse so that he can do some kicking himself. And besides, despite Brian not catching on to the unbalanced dynamic between Justin and Ted, Emmett knows at least some of the truth. He can let Teddy know what is going on if he takes up this arrangement and, on top of that, he can keep an eye on Brian. Maybe this will make Justin snap out of whatever love-crazy trance he’s in and get jealous that Brian’s “moved on” with a good friend as well.

 

“Well, _partner_ , you going to kiss me again?”

 

Brian smirks and pulls Emmett back in for a makeout session. They don’t come up for air for a while. As complex as his feelings are for Brian Kinney, Emmett has to admit that Brian knows how to do wonderful things with his tongue. He just hopes he isn’t making a mistake by agreeing to this. But someone has to keep an eye on the destructive man.

 

Tell me how to win your heart  
For I haven't got a clue  
But let me start by saying  
I love you

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ted is having a nightmare. He has to be. Not only did Justin sing him one of the corniest and creepiest love songs ever, but Brian and Emmett are kissing! Wait, they’ve moved on to a full-on makeout session now. Brian is rubbing Emmett’s cock through his pants! Seriously, what the fuck?! Brian?! Emmett?! Brian and Emmett?!

 

“Hey! Did I surprise you with my song?” Justin asks as he sits back down.

 

“Yeah, you surprised me alright,” Ted answers, not taking his eyes off of whatever the fuck is going on at the bar.

 

“Did you like it? Do you think I did a good job? Did that song remind you of us? It reminded me of us,” Justin rambled as he bounced in his seat.

 

“Yeah, of course,” Ted mumbles distractedly.

 

“Ted, are you even listening?” Justin huffs, “Hey, what are you even looking at?”

 

Justin turns to look at what Ted is staring at. It’s that action that makes Ted turn to Justin to pay attention to his reaction. Maybe this will get the boy to snap out of whatever delusion he has fallen under.

 

He braces himself to comfort Justin, but when he sees the clear emotion written on Justin’s face, he realizes that he doesn’t need to. 

 

He looks relieved.

 

“I’m so glad he’s moved on,” Justin tells him, a little teary eyed, “They’ll be good together, don’t you think? They just have so many things in common. They’re both so...tall. They’re a perfect couple, just like us.”

 

As Ted sits there in horror, Justin lays his head on his shoulder and smiles.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maybe Marilyn shouldn’t have burned Ted’s whole entire jacket for the spell. It might have been best if she just burned a piece of it. She has never seen a reaction so strong to a love spell before. 

 

As for Brian, god, he was so frustrating. Instead of manning up and showing Justin how much he loved him, he goes and makes out with Emmett Honeycutt then gets the man to agree to a fake partnership. For a man as smart as Brian, he could be particularly dense sometimes.

 

She knows she should do the spell on Brian now so she can forcibly pull his head out of his ass, but that should still be a last resort. She needs time to prepare anyway. 

 

Besides, this arrangement could provide for good entertainment…

 

The love spell that Justin was under would wear off by the next full moon so she’d give Brian two weeks. If he didn’t change up his strategy for the better by that point then she would have to take matters into her own hands. 

 

She almost feels guilty about all of this. She does. But deep down she knows it’s for the better. Soon they will realize that too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read and review to let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Justin and Brian go public with their new relationships.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the month long delay! I hope you enjoy this ridiculous chapter!
> 
> I also realized why no one was really seeing this story. It has had the update date as February 8, 2015 for every chapter! Hopefully some readers on Ao3 will finally see this story and enjoy it.

“Is it really necessary that we keep holding hands? Mine is starting to sweat,” Emmett informs Brian through grit teeth.

 

But all Brian does is pick a dress shirt off a rack at Larrimor’s with his free hand and hold it up against Emmett’s torso.

 

“Here. Try this on. We need to look hot together and I think this would bring out your eyes.”

 

Emmett almost blushes at the compliment before he finds the insult within the words.

 

“Excuse me, but what’s wrong with the clothes I already have?”

 

Brian gives him a pitying look and then turns him around and pushes him towards the dressing rooms.

 

“If I’m going to pretend to be a fag head over heels in love, then my partner in crime is at least going to have a decent sense of fashion. Now go try it on and I’ll go pick out more things in your size.”

 

Brian shoves the shirt in Emmett’s hands and closes the dressing room door behind him.

 

Emmett lets out a sigh. It’s been less than 24 hours since he agreed to pretend to be Brian’s boyfriend. He hasn’t even had time to tell Ted what was going on yet. Brian wanted him to spend the night after they left Woody’s and, although they basically had their hands in each other’s pants all the way back to the loft, as soon as they got inside Brian sat down, heavy-hearted, and curled up into a ball on the couch so he could stare off into space. He didn’t chance calling Ted after Brian fell asleep since he didn’t want the man to overhear him and he hadn’t wanted to call Ted at Kinnetik today either. It was too complicated and he should tell Ted of the situation in person.

 

Not that he had the time. Being Brian’s boyfriend was much more demanding than Justin ever made it out to be. Brian had called and had Emmett meet him for lunch. Okay, that had been nice and they actually had a good conversation despite the circumstances. But when Emmett walked him back to Kinnetik (also Brian’s idea) they had a very passionate parting kiss right in front of Ted’s office. It wasn’t in the best taste and he could tell that Brian got a thrill out of making Ted uncomfortable but it was what it was. Then Brian made him meet him at Kinnetik around 5 o’clock only to drag him to go clothes shopping right after. And, no matter how many times Emmett tried to gently pull away from Brian’s insistent grip, he never managed. Brian said it was because they needed to make their presence known as a couple but Emmett doesn’t see who would really care all that much besides their closest friends.

 

As Emmett pulls off his own shirt to put on Brian’s suggested one, he hears the dressing room stall get hit and two men groaning. Well, some people know how to have fun shopping!

 

“Fuck!” He hears an urgent voice from the next stall over, “Yeah, right there.”

 

“Take it in, baby, just take it in,” he hears the other man growl.

 

“Hey, you see Brian Kinney and Emmett Honeycutt holding hands and shopping around when we came in? Guess the rumors are true,” a breathless voice comments.

 

Okay, so maybe people are talking more than Emmett thought they would.

 

“Yeah, it took me by surprise when Howie told us this morning but I can see it now that I think about it. The ultimate top with one of the nelliest bottoms. Both are really tall. Both take pride in who they are. Maybe they’ll last.”

 

“Yeah, Justin was too versatile. He fucked me last year. And man, that kid is meant to top at least half the time. I don’t see Brian letting him top at all. I wonder how he kept the kid around as long as he did.”

 

“Maybe he let Justin top just enough to keep him around but when it came down to it, it wasn’t enough. So now he’s with someone who wouldn’t feel the need to ever top him. Now shut up and fuck yourself on my cock.”

 

Well, overhearing that had been enlightening.

 

But seriously, if it were him, he would have waited until the couple in question were out of the store.

 

Emmett shakes his head in disbelief, finishes buttoning up his shirt, and looks in the mirror.

 

Huh. Brian was right. The shirt does bring out his eyes. He looks pretty hot.

 

So he steps out, sees Brian in the back of the store, and taps him on the shoulder to get his attention. When Brian turns around, he gets a surprising reaction. He’s seen that expression on Brian’s face before, but never directed towards him. As Brian slowly directs his eyes from his head to his toes, licks his lips, and says, “Not bad” Emmett gets shivers. That look is usually reserved for the people who Brian finds VERY attractive. The ones that he sometimes considers giving a second go between the sheets. He’s known the man for about a decade and even he isn’t completely immune to the Kinney charm.

 

Brian clears his throat, smirks, and says, “I picked out some more clothes for you to try on.”

 

Brian then points to the associate stumbling with the weight of the clothes that he’s holding. 

 

“Brian, can’t you see that he’s barely standing up with all of that stuff?” Emmett scolds as he goes over to take some of the weight from the man who Brian must think is his personal shopping servant.

 

“It’s alright. Mr. Kinney is one of our best customers,” the young man quips behind the mountain of form fitting yet tasteful jeans.

 

“See, honey? I’m one of their best,” Brian says as he tugs on Emmett’s wrist to turn him around to kiss him.

 

Emmett hesitantly gives in then breaks it after a few seconds and sighs at the sheer amount of things Brian has him trying on.

 

“I can’t afford all of that,” Emmett admits, “Buying this shirt alone is more than I would pay on a few outfits.”

 

“That’s why I’m paying for them. It’s what partners do. Right, Ricky?” 

 

The associate shrugs, “I guess so. You brought Justin here sometimes and bought him stuff. Only seems fair to do it for your new boyfriend.”

 

Emmett winces when he sees Brian’s scowl. Shit.

 

“Go take the clothes to the dressing room for my _new_ boyfriend, Ricky,” Brian commands as he points towards the stalls. 

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

Emmett follows Ricky back to the dressing rooms and spares one last look at Brian. He has never seen the man so focused on clothes in his life. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hello, my love who I can’t get enough of!” Justin sing-calls as Ted walks out of Kinnetik.

 

Ted doesn’t even try to hold back his groan.

 

“Justin, you shouldn’t be here,” Ted snaps, making Justin flinch.

 

“I…I just wanted to accompany you home from work. I took two buses to meet you.” Justin mumbles as he tearfully looks down at the ground.

 

God damn it. 

 

“Well, I can drive myself home. You didn’t have to go to all of the trouble.”

 

“But I wanted to go to the trouble. I love you, Ted,” Justin insists as he takes his hand but Ted pulls it back.

 

“What if Brian walks out, huh? Do you really care that little of his feelings now?”

 

Ted thought he could maybe put Justin on the spot by saying that but Justin just smiles.

 

“Ted, Brian has moved on and that’s what I care about. I am so happy for him and Emmett. They’re the talk of Liberty Avenue right now and I really do think they make a beautiful couple. I mean, they’ve known each other for ten years and were good friends, probably never even thought about getting into a relationship with each other, and now look at them!”

 

“I had the same story with Emmett and look how that turned out,” Ted points out.

 

“Well, I’m glad it turned out the way it did, although you could have left the crystal alone. Oh well. Now I can have you all to myself. Besides, you don’t have the same exact story with Emmett. Brian’s known him longer plus they totally fucked right before he introduced Emmett to Michael. Brian basically settled him into Pittsburgh. And ten years later, Emmett is settling him into a lifelong partnership. It all comes full circle,” Justin sighs dreamily.

 

Wait, what? How in the hell did he not know that Brian and Emmett fucked? He was supposed to be Emmett’s best friend for years! And okay, Ted didn’t tell Emmett about his encounter with Brian when he walked into an orgy at the loft but he never had Brian’s dick inside of him! Brian, who had been high out of his mind, just jerked him off to thank him for doing his taxes.

 

“How do you even know that?” Ted asks.

 

“Brian told me. He used to tell me a lot of things and confide in me. Now only if you would, mister!” Justin teases as he pokes Ted’s stomach.

 

Justin looks up at Ted endearingly, his eyes filled to the brim with love and happiness.

 

“Get in the car,” Ted barks out, “I’ll give you a ride back to Daphne’s.”

 

“But I wanted to come over and see Lupe,” Justin pouts. 

 

“Not tonight.”

 

Justin stomps to the car and slams the passenger door. He gets over his anger two minutes later when he tells Ted what a sexy driver he is.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Daphne! Come meet the love of my life!”

 

Daphne turns around to see Justin waving at her from inside a car and she mutters her frustration under her breath. Justin has really been getting on her last nerve lately. Don’t get her wrong, she wants him to be happy. Even though she thinks that Brian’s the best man for him, she can’t control who he falls for. She’s not a part of the relationship so all she can hope is that he makes good choices for himself.

 

But lately he’s only been about himself. He didn’t even congratulate her when she told him that she won a statewide award for her thesis on the progression of HIV treatment. He just said, “Oh, that’s nice!” and waxed poetic on Ted’s perfectly shaped eyebrows. 

 

But he’s her friend. She has to support him. So she forces herself to smile and walks to the car.

 

“I’ve already met Ted, Justin. Remember?” she reminds him as she bends down to look through the passenger window.

 

“Yes, but you haven’t met him as the love of my life. Daphne this is the love of my life. Love of my life, this is Daphne.”

 

Ted grumbles a greeting and Daphne nods in response. He doesn’t seem as nearly as enthusiastic about Justin as Justin is about him. She also doesn’t see what’s so great about his eyebrows. 

 

“Hello, Ted,” she says stiffly, “Justin’s told me a lot about you. As in, he never shuts up. Ever.”

 

“Daphne, stop!” Justin giggles, “Ted, she’s exaggerating. Only slightly, but she’s still exaggerating. Right, Daphne?”

 

“Not really. So what are you both up to?”

 

Ted clears his throat, “I’m just dropping Justin off.”

 

“But I’m sure Daphne wants the apartment to herself and insists that I go with you.”

 

“I don’t-“

 

“Daphne, William is coming over tonight. Don’t you remember?” Justin hints.

 

She has no idea who the fuck William is. 

 

“Right. William.”

 

“Ted, you should see them. They are perfect together. He has this gorgeous red hair, freckles on his nose, and is really tall. They are the cutest and he loves her so much. I couldn’t possibly intrude on them when they so desperately need some alone time,” Justin fibs very convincingly. 

 

“Maybe I can drop you off at Debbie’s.”

 

“I can’t intrude on her and Carl. They need alone time too, even though they’re old.”

 

“God damn it, Justin.”

 

“We can go out to dinner. Just the two of us,” Justin sings as he cuddles Ted’s arm and Ted looks to Daphne.

 

“Daphne-“

 

“Yeah, I have to go. I’ll see you later, Justin. Bye, _love of Justin’s life_.”

 

Daphne runs towards the apartment and away from the grossest display of affection she’s ever seen in her life.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He can’t believe that he and Ted are finally going out on a real date! Ted oh so graciously accepted and is taking him to The Liberty Diner! It’s so incredibly romantic. Justin can’t wait to show his man off to the people he sees and interacts with on a daily basis. 

 

“Oh, Ted! This is so romantic!” Justin exclaims as they walk through the main doors.

 

“Yeah, this is a place that I save for the people most special to me,” Ted says sarcastically and Justin stops walking.

 

“Really?”

 

Justin doesn’t mean to get choked up. He really doesn’t. But he can’t help it. The sentiment implied in Ted’s words is just so precious.

 

“Go pick a booth and sit down.”

 

Justin walks to his regular booth and Ted sits down across from him. 

 

“Ted! Justin! I didn’t expect to see the two of you here!” Debbie says as she approaches their table.

 

“Hey, Debbie! I thought you had off tonight.”

 

“Kiki came down with the flu. Ran to the bathroom and puked her guts out an hour into her shift so here I am! I just got in ten minutes ago. You doing okay, kid?” Debbie asks him, concerned.

 

“Of course I am. Why do you ask?”

 

“Well…Michael told me you broke it off with Brian and might be with someone else. Brian has been avoiding me and I haven’t seen you in the last few days. I just wanted to make sure you were doing alright.”

 

Justin smiles at the unneeded concern. Debbie was always so thoughtful. He couldn’t wait to see her excitement at the great news.

 

“I’m doing better than okay. I’m doing fantastic. I’ve fallen for someone else. He’s…he’s fucking fantastic, Debbie. I love him so much.”

 

Justin ignores Ted banging his head against the table. He’s always been so modest. 

 

“Oh? Well, if you’re happy, then I’m happy. Who is the lucky guy?”

 

“Just direct your eyes right across from me and you’ll be looking right at him.”

 

Justin waits in anticipation as Debbie looks over to Ted, bypasses him, then looks at the other booths against the wall.

 

“Come on, Justin. Give me a hint. There’s at least 10 hot guys here right now.”

 

Justin just laughs, “Debbie! He’s sitting right here!”

 

Justin reaches over and laces his fingers with Ted’s. He brings Ted’s hand over to kiss it and Ted glares at him. He must want to wait a little longer until they start doing PDA.

 

Debbie looks at Justin, then at Ted. Then at back at Justin and once more at Ted. After a few seconds she bursts out laughing.

 

“Alright, Justin. Come on, out with it. Who is he, really?”

 

He loves Debbie. He really does. But she can be so insensitive sometimes. Here he is, with this beautiful and perfectly flawed specimen of a man and she can’t see how perfect he is for him. His wonderful Ted is a great man but he has such a low self-esteem. It breaks Justin’s heart that Debbie can’t take their relationship seriously for Ted’s sake.

 

“It’s Ted, Debbie,” he tells her sternly, “Ted is the man I have fallen for. And I don’t appreciate you undermining that. It hurts his feelings and it hurts mine as well.”

 

“It doesn’t hurt my feelings. I think it’s ridic-“

 

“I mean, look at him! Who could not look at that face and fall in love with him? But it isn’t just his handsome features. He has the kindest and most beautiful soul that I’ve ever known. He knows me. He gets me. He catches me when I fall and lifts me up until I believe in myself again.”

 

Justin is bawling out his words at this point and Ted seems like he is at a complete loss for words. Justin can’t blame him. Sometimes when you don’t recognize you strengths, having them explicitly said to you can be an emotionally trying experience. 

 

“Um…Alright, Sunshine. That’s fine. I’m glad you’ve found someone who means so much to you,” Debbie says softly and uncertainly.

 

“I have no idea why it took me so long,” Justin whispers, wiping his tears away, “He’s been right in front of me for years. The only thing I regret is that I wasted so much time.”

 

“Seriously, is no one going to ask me how I feel about this?” Ted asks suddenly, looking up at Debbie.

 

“Well, I should HOPE that you’re grateful that a young man as wonderful and as passionate as Justin feels so strongly for you! You are grateful, aren’t you, Ted?”

 

Ted opens and closes his mouth, fumbling for words. 

 

After about thirty seconds he gives up and lets out a sigh. 

 

Finally giving in, he lets his shoulders droop and he says, “Sure.”

 

Debbie nods then gets her notepad out.

 

“What will it be, boys?”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“The Liberty Diner? This is where you want to take me for dinner?”

 

Brian turns around and smirks.

 

“People see us here every day. After they see us here, it will be official and everyone will know that you took me off the market, something that Justin could never fully do.”

 

“Yeah, because you wouldn’t let him.”

 

Honeycutt has some fucking nerve. After he bought Emmett $1500 worth of clothes and gave him some of his closet space, you’d think the man would be more appreciative. 

 

“Shut the fuck up and hold my hand,” Brian orders as he pushes open the door.

 

Brian leads Emmett in and decides to let go of his hand to put and arm around his waist instead. He thinks that will make them look more intimate and close with each other. He feels eyes on them as they make their way inside so Brian turns to give Emmett a kiss on the cheek. He hears Debbie drop some plates and shriek but he can’t worry about her right now.

 

He thinks they are convincing though and he feels pretty good about it. 

 

That is until he realizes that his booth is taken. 

 

“Ted! Justin! Fancy seeing you here!” Emmett exclaims.

 

“Get up,” Brian bites out.

 

“Brian-” Emmett starts.

 

“They’re sitting in my booth. I always sit there,” Brian points out.

 

“What makes it yours? I always sit here too,” Justin retorts, also making a valid point.

 

But not valid enough.

 

“I’m the one who used to buy you breakfast here and I’m the one who introduced you to that booth. So I’m the one who gets it,” Brian hisses.

 

“Brian, sweetie, you two can have the divorce settlement later. We can go sit in that booth over there. See you two later!”

 

Brian feels Emmett dragging him towards the next booth over and pushing him to sit down. 

 

“Brian, try not to focus on it. Calm down. It’ll be fine. You can get that booth next time. Here. Take my hand and keep your eyes on me.”

 

Brian forces himself to do what Emmett says and tries to ignore the couple behind them.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ted watches Debbie fumble in a daze as she takes Brian’s and Emmett’s order before she goes back in the kitchen. At least someone realizes how fucking weird that is. Next time he catches Emmett alone, they are DEFINITELY having a talk.

 

“What are you thinking about, baby?” Justin asks as he plays with Ted’s fingers.

 

“Nothing.”

 

Justin lets out a sigh.

 

“I wish you would let me in a little more, Ted.”

 

“Not going to happen.”

 

Justin bites his lip, frustrated.

 

“Whatever. I have to pee. Please try to be in a better mood when I get back. I think we’ll both have a better time if you try.”

 

Justin slides out of the booth and walks goes to the men’s room.

 

And that’s when Ted sees his out. 

 

Quickly but discreetly, Ted gets up and walks quickly out the doors. As soon as he’s outside, he feels a sense of freedom. All he has to do is make it to his car and-

 

“It’s a bit of a dick move to ditch your date,” he hears a voice behind him say.

 

Ted turns around and sees Mysterious Marilyn standing there. Great. That’s all he needs, someone trying to talk him into giving up his cash.

 

“He’s not my date. He’s fucking batshit and it’s in both our best interests if I go.”

 

“Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong.”

 

“I’m sorry, what?”

 

Marilyn lets out a dramatic sigh and starts to slowly walk around him.

 

“I know you don’t have feelings for him. It would have been more fun for you if you did. I’m sure the boy is a pistol in bed when he isn’t…under the influence.”

 

“What are you talking about? There is no drug that can make him act like that.”

 

Marilyn nods her head, “You’re right. A drug could not change his feelings so drastically.”

 

“Then what do you mean, ‘under the influence?’” Ted asks, suspicious of what she’s saying.

 

Marilyn laughs, “What, you think all I can do is tell a few fortunes and read some tarot cards? Oh no, honey. I’m much more powerful than that.”

 

“What are you…what are you saying?”

 

“I’m saying that my spell is designed for people to chase after the person I have chosen for them to fall in love with. The reason he has gotten worse and worse is because you aren’t giving him one ounce of hope or leeway.”

 

What-? No. No, this isn’t fucking possible. This psychic bitch was just fucking with him and had overheard Justin. She’s just as crazy as Justin is.

 

But she doesn’t look crazy. He looks for it in her eyes and for any other hint that she might be lying but all he gets his a raised eyebrow and a tilt of the head.

 

“You are ruining my life!” Ted explodes.

 

“No, I’m fixing Brian’s and Justin’s. Brian needed a wake-up call so that his relationship could be permanently fixed. You are just a means to do that.”

 

“I’m just a means, that’s great. That’s just great,” Ted starts laughing hysterically.

 

“The spell will wear off in a little over three weeks. After that it will all just be an embarrassing memory.”

 

“I’ll tell Brian. I’ll tell him that you fucked with Justin and put a spell on him-”

 

“Oh, and I’m sure Mr. Skeptical will believe you, especially when he’s so happy with you right now,” Marilyn laughs as she rolls her eyes, “And even if he did, I’m powerful enough to deter him or make him forget what he’s heard completely. So, no offense, but I’m not concerned.”

 

“You-”

 

“I didn’t come here to fight. I came here to help you. I’m not sure if you noticed, but the spell had a little bit of a stronger effect than I intended.”

 

“A little bit? A little bit?!”

 

“So I have come to give you advice on how to handle that until it wears off on the full moon. All you have to do is give in.”

 

But Ted shakes his head.

 

“I won’t. I won’t take advantage of Justin when he’s like this.”

 

“Then tell him you took a vow of complete celibacy but want to take things slow and see where they go. Hold his hand and give him a kiss every once in a while. He should be a little more sated and not quite as manic as he has been.”

 

“No. You are going to fix this.”

 

“Sorry, no can do. I have plans. Take my advice or don’t. It’s your decision on how intense Justin’s feelings get within the next three weeks. Have a nice night with Justin, Ted.”

 

And then she’s gone. Ted calls out for her but she’s nowhere to be seen.

 

Fuck. 

 

He can’t let Justin’s feelings get more intense. He just can’t. He can barely deal with them now.

 

So he goes back inside to a tearful Justin and assures him that he just needed fresh air and wasn’t kidnapped by a vicious gang. And as he wipes Justin’s tears and holds his hand, he hopes that it will be enough until Justin goes back to normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read and review!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael thinks this dinner is complete shit and not because of his mother's food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this short chapter! This chapter and the next one were supposed to be one long chapter but it seemed better to break it here.

“-And then Ted took me to the grocery store so I could buy some toilet paper. Isn’t he just incredible?” Justin boasts.

 

“Of course, dear. It’s great having someone you care about help you with the simple things,” Debbie says with fake enthusiasm.

 

Michael looks around the table and sees the blank looks on his friends’ faces. This is fucking bullshit. How can they sit there and not say anything when they know Brian has to be hurting over this? Even though he and Justin have gotten along a lot better in the last couple of years, he’s fucking pissed that he would dump Brian for Ted. Seriously, what the fuck? Michael thinks he has matured enough to understand Justin’s choice to leave Brian. That wasn’t the issue. Sure, he would have stayed on Brian’s side but he knows Justin wanted more out of the relationship than Brian was giving him. But he left Brian for Ted. TED. Ted was Brian’s friend and worked with him on a daily basis. How could Justin do that to Brian?

 

And, more importantly, how could Ted do that to Brian? Brian had helped Ted get through so much shit and had gotten the man a job twice. How could Ted come over and see Brian so fucking devastated and act supportive of the man? What the hell? Ted must be one terrific actor because he had Michael going, that’s for sure. How could both of them just fuck Brian over like that?

 

“I’m about to flip out at them,” Michael mutters to Ben.

 

Ben shakes his head and whispers, “I know you’re upset for Brian. I am too. But Justin and Ted are our friends as well.”

 

“So Michael, Ben, what have the two of you been up to this week? I haven’t seen you around,” Ted asks them, interrupting Justin from telling them about their romantic moment earlier that day at Autozone.

 

“Not fucking one of Ben’s friends behind his back, but that’s just me.”

 

Ben clears his throat, “What Michael means is that we’ve been busy picking out some new furniture and are thinking about repainting the living room. We’ve really been enjoying each other’s company and love being married.”

 

Ben kisses his temple and, okay, that makes him feel a little better in this bizarre situation.

 

Justin sighs, “You both are such an inspiration. I hope that one day Ted and I will get married and pick out furniture. Right, sweetheart?”

 

Then Justin had to ruin it.

 

“Uh huh, right...Well, I’m happy for you both!” Ted exclaims.

 

“Thank you very much. We are very happy,” Ben says graciously.

 

After that exchange, they listen to Justin coo over Ted and talk about how perfect Ted is while the girls stay completely silent in shock. They’ve been weird the last few weeks though so maybe they aren’t as shocked as Michael thinks they are. He wishes that Justin and Ted hadn’t come so that Brian could be here instead. He’s starting to accept that his best friend is probably not coming once the lasagna comes out of the oven. Emmett must be busy too. Probably covering an event he planned. He just wants one other opinion on this Twilight Zone scenario since his mother, Ben, and Carl are trying to be supportive, Hunter couldn’t give two shits, Lindsay and Melanie haven’t said a word, Gus only cares about his toy trains, and JR is an infant. One other person has to understand how fucked up this is.

 

As though he was reading his mind, Brian comes in. And, while he knows that this may cause him pain, at least he will be able to see that this is complete bullshit.

 

“Brian! I’m so glad you’re here,” Michael tells him sincerely.

 

“Where else would I be, Mikey?”

 

Michael smiles. He’s so glad Brian’s feeling better. He has to give the man credit: he knows how to keep his cool. He doesn’t know what he would do if he were in Brian’s position.

 

“Here! Come sit next to me.”

 

Brian shakes his head, “Not enough room.”

 

“Sure there is. There’s-”

 

“Hey, babe!” Brian calls into the other room.

 

“Just a second!”

 

Emmett comes in with a wide smile as Brian takes him into his arms and presses kisses to his cheek.

 

“Where did you go?” Brian asks.

 

“I just had to get out of that stuffy shirt,” Emmett tells him.

 

“You look fucking hot,” Brian whispers then brings Emmett in for a kiss.

 

What. The. Fuck.

 

And when he manages to bring himself out of his horror just enough to turn his head, he can see that Ben has finally fallen into shock as well.

 

“Dude! Quit making out in the kitchen. You’re making me want to barf,” Hunter complains.

 

Brian smirks, “Someone’s jealous.”

 

Brian leads Emmett to a chair and sits down next to him before he rubs the Emmett’s thigh, “What are we having?”

 

“Lasagna,” Debbie says, in a trance.

 

“Mom!” Michael finally yells, “Why the hell are you acting like nothing is happening right now? Emmett and Brian just made out!”

 

“I...I saw them kiss at the Diner,” his mother reveals.

 

“ _What?_ And you didn’t tell me?!”

 

“I thought it had been a dream.”

 

Michael shakes his head and turns to Brian, “Brian, what the hell is going on?”

 

“I’m in love, Mikey. What else is there to say?” Brian shrugs.

 

Michael feels frantic as he turns to Lindsay, “Lindsay! Talk to him. Figure out what is going on.”

 

“If...If Brian’s happy, then I’m happy,” Lindsay tries then gives up, “Brian, are you feeling alright?”

 

But before Brian can answer, Justin cuts in.

 

“I think it’s fantastic that Brian found love with Emmett. They are so perfect. Look how tall they both are. Not only that, but they also like classic movies. I think their grand romance is incredibly sweet,” Justin says.

 

“No one asked you, Taylor,” Brian growls.

 

“Thank you, sweetie,” Emmett tells Justin.

 

“But Brian-”

 

“Deb, can you pass the lasagna?” Brian interrupts.

 

“Sure, Brian. I can do that.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is so fucking awkward. Brian is kissing Emmett every five minutes and Justin is talking crazy. Ted feels like he has given Justin a little bit of wiggle room when it comes to his chances with him but it’s obviously not working as well as Mysterious Marilyn told him it would.

 

“One day, when I’m making more money, I want to take Ted to Italy so that we can go to Opera shows every night and make love under the stars in Venice,” Justin informs the group, completely convinced that this will happen.

 

Ted clears his throat, “Justin, I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

 

“Well, I have money and I’m taking Emmett all across Europe this summer,” Brian informs them.

 

“Wait, rea-...” Emmett starts then trails off when Brian looks at him, “Oh right. We talked about that. Of course. I thought you were kidding."

 

“Why would I ever kid about that? You deserve the world,” Brian tells his boyfriend, fucking Emmett Honeycutt, before he meets Emmett for a kiss. Seriously, how is this happening?

 

“Well, Carl and I talk about getting out of town all the time but most weekends we just end up staying in our pajamas,” Debbie says to break the silence.

 

“This is totally fucked,” Michael exclaims as he throws down his fork.

 

“I know one guy who’s going to get fucked,” Brian hints as he moves his hand up Emmett’s thigh.

 

“No one sees that this is some crazy alternate universe? No one here at all?”

 

“Why don’t you write a comic book about it, Mikey? Emmett doesn’t have a character yet. He can be the Flamboyant Flame.”

 

“Ooh! That’s a good idea!” Justin adds in, “And Ted can be the Theo Tax. He helps Rage and JT with their finances and JT sees how perfect Theo is for him.”

 

“And Rage sees that Flame is so much better than JT in every way,” Brian finishes.

 

Ted watches Michael look back and forth between Brian and Justin and throws up his hands.

 

“I’m done for the night. Thanks for dinner, Ma.”

 

“You’re welcome, baby.”

 

“I’m coming too,” Hunter tells Michael, “I need to get out of this freak show.”

 

“Are you coming, Ben?” 

 

Ben looks around the room, “Uh...Sure. It was great to see you all.”

 

Michael, Ben, and Hunter leave so fast that their dust silences the whole room. Ted is just wishing someone would speak until Justin’s the one to actually do it.

 

“Lindsay,” Justin smiles, “Melanie. Ted and I would be honored to have you over for dinner. We would love to get advice from two women who have had such a long lasting relationship.”

 

“I don’t think we would be the best people to get advice from, Justin,” Melanie admits. 

 

“No shit,” Brian mutters under his breath and really, just because the girls have had some problems in the past doesn’t mean that their relationship shouldn’t be respected. 

 

“You said you wanted us over for dinner,” Lindsay brings up, changing the subject, “Are...are the two of you living together?”

 

“No.” Ted says firmly.

 

“Not yet,” Justin adds in.

 

“Emmett and I are moving in together,” Brian says out of the blue right before Debbie chokes on her coffee. 

 

“Baby,” Debbie confronts Emmett, hurt and confused, “Why didn’t you tell me or Carl?”

 

“I.. um...well...Brian, what the fuck?” Emmett ends up scolding Brian. Brian just shrugs.

 

“They deserve to know,” Brian tells him simply.

 

“Debbie, don’t worry. Nothing’s official yet. Right now I’ll just be staying at the loft a lot. Mr. Romantic here wants to get me to commit already but I told him that we just need to test it out first! Didn’t I, Brian?”

 

Brian looks at Emmett and says nothing.

 

“Well, that’s a surprise! Brian Kinney, committing?” Mel snarks.

 

Brian stares at her calmly and smiles.

 

“I just had to find the right person first. Someone who I could see myself growing old with. Anyone before Emmett was minor league.”

 

“The feeling is mutual,” Justin says sweetly, “Ted and I are so happy.”

 

Is it possible to just sink through the floor and cease to exist? Ted really thinks that scientists need to get on with inventing a way to do that.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Dinner was lovely, wasn’t it?” Justin asks him as he tries to get him to skip down the street.

 

“I don’t know if I would say that.”

 

“Ted. Stop walking for a second,” Justin orders.

 

Ted sighs and stops in his tracks to look down at Justin. Justin gazes at him with absolute adoration and kisses him sweetly.

 

“I just wanted to kiss you under the light of the moon,” Justin whispers against his lips.

 

“Oh. Well, that’s sweet.”

 

“I think we should finally take that step tonight.”

 

Fuck.

 

“W-What step?”

 

“Ted,” Justin laughs coyly, “You know what I’m saying. I want to make love to you.”

 

“Justin, I don’t know, um, well…”

 

“Ted, what is it? You don’t have to be nervous. I would never judge your physique or any sounds you make. You’re perfect.”

 

“Stop being weird. What I’m trying to say is-”

 

_Come up with something come up with something!_

 

“I’ve taken a vow of celibacy.”

 

Justin stands, still as a statue, and just stares at Ted blankly. 

 

“What.”

 

“You heard me. I took a vow of celibacy.”

 

Justin tilts his head, “But how?”

 

“I made a promise to myself.”

 

“...And you kept it?”

 

“Look, I promised myself that I wouldn’t have sex until I was in a serious relationship and I plan on sticking by that.”

 

“But I want to be in a serious relationship with you,” Justin pouts.

 

 _“Yeah, tell yourself that again in three weeks,”_ Ted thinks to himself.

 

“I have to take things slow. Very slow. Maybe if we are still seeing each other in six months-”

 

“Six months? Six months?! Ted, I’ll die if I don’t have sex!” Justin wails.

 

“...I doubt that you’ll die.”

 

“I will. I’ll just die. I think about sex all the time. Seriously, all the time. I’ve been waiting for over a week to just take you in my arms and enter your sweet, tight-”

 

“Justin!” Ted interrupts him sharply, “I can’t go back on this. It’s important to me.”

 

Justin lets out a sigh and looks at the ground.

 

“Look, you’re young. If you aren’t ready for a commitment like that, I would completely understand. Go have fun. Fuck around or find someone that wants to start a physical relationship right now.”

 

“I can’t do that, Ted,” Justin mumbles, “I can’t do that because none of those men will be you.”

 

Justin straightens his shoulders and looks him square in the eyes.

 

“I, Justin Taylor, promise Theodore Schmidt my love and chastity until he sees fit. I will support him during his time of abstinence and show him how much I love him by holding his hand, baking him cakes, and giving him loving kisses. I will not push him into any kind of sexual activity until he is ready to end his vow of misery. Because I love him. More than anything.”

 

Justin smashes his lips into Ted’s and smiles.

 

“I would travel to the moon and back to make you happy.”

 

“That...That’s nice, Justin.”

 

“Now, here. Take my hand. Let’s skip. It feels incredible, Ted. Trust me.”

 

And as Ted Schmidt skips with Justin Taylor, he realizes that Mysterious Marilyn is full of shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read and review to let me know what you think!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something occurs between Brian and Emmett.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a more serious chapter. I hope you enjoy. Only five chapters left!

“Brian! Look at me! What the fuck was that?!” Emmett yells as they come into the loft.

 

Brian looks at him with an eyebrow raised, “What the fuck was what?”

 

“Why would you tell them that I was moving in with you? I agreed to play out this farce but that doesn’t mean that you can make decisions like that,” Emmett fumes as he paces around the loft.

 

Brian just sits down on the couch and looks at him. Fucking looks at him like he’s acting like a misbehaving toddler. Fuck him. Brian’s the toddler.

 

But he’s also a man with a shattered heart. So Emmett takes a few deep breaths and tries again.

 

“I just can’t make any significant changes in my life right now, especially if it is all based on a lie. I just got out of a relationship. It was hard and I wanted to be with him so badly but he wasn’t ready and I had to let him go.”

 

Brian raises an eyebrow, “You’re still not over Ted? That’s fucking pathetic, Honeycutt.”

 

“It’s not Ted!” Emmett groans. He almost forgot that he kept this a secret from everyone except from Ted for a reason. “It’s someone else. He was a closet case, high profile. Married. Fuck, I don’t want to talk about him right now. My point is that I can’t do this shit if you are going to make decisions from what clothes I’m going to wear to where I am going to live. You didn’t do that with Justin. And I know that this relationship isn’t real and even if it was it wouldn’t come close to what you felt for him. But we still need to communicate. That’s why your first relationship failed and that’s why this one won’t work out either.”

 

Emmett goes and grabs his stuff, the stuff he actually bought for himself, from Brian’s closet. He didn’t mean to bail on Brian but his rant got him going and this is for the best. 

 

“Wait,” he hears Brian say behind him, “Just...Just put your shit back in the closet.”

 

Emmett turns around and sees Brian standing there, confused and, if Emmett dares to look deeply enough, sad.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Emmett drops his things on the spot, “I’m afraid I misheard you. What do you-”

 

“You heard me. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told them you were moving in with me. It was childish and petty and it wasn’t right to do when you are doing me a favor.”

 

Emmett takes a couple steps towards Brian and puts his arms around his neck, “Brian, this whole thing is petty. Justin dropping you for Ted is awful. I agree with that one hundred percent. But you have to realize that this isn’t the best way to go about your heartbreak. This isn’t you. You know that.”

 

Brian scoffs and looks away, “I fucking know, alright? I just went back to who I was before when he left me for Ethan. But it’s fucking Ted. Ted was supposed to be my friend. You used to be with him so-”

 

“You thought I would be the perfect candidate in a scheme to try to hurt him while keeping some of your pride.”

 

Brian just shrugs but ends up nodding.

 

“Brian...no one would think you were pathetic if you just acted like a normal person and wallowed after a breakup. It would be understandable.”

 

“I’m not going to fucking wallow,” Brian seethes as he pulls away, “Fuck that. I’m fine.”

 

“You are not and you know it.”

 

There’s a tense silence between them and Emmett realizes that he will have to be the one to make the first move.

 

“I’m going to-”

 

“Don’t go.”

 

Emmett just stares at him, “Why not? Because you want to show Justin that you’ve moved on?”

 

“No. Okay, yes but...I just don’t want to be alone, alright? Just stay here.”

 

Shit, Brian knows how to look like a kicked puppy. It isn’t helping Emmett keep his resolve at all.

 

“...Fine. But only because I don’t want to embarrass you by breaking this off so soon. And because you are my friend. I can tell that you need someone around right now. That’s why I decided to do this in the first place.”

 

Brian looks away and Emmett knows he needs to break the tension. 

 

“So we need to act like a couple. Not just in front of people but behind closed doors.”

 

“Honeycutt, if you are asking me to fuck you all you had to do was ask,” Brian smirks as he makes a move to unzip his pants.

 

“That’s not what I’m saying. What I am saying is that you need to learn how to communicate with me until you are ready to end this. This won’t work if you aren’t willing to do that.”

 

Brian doesn’t say anything for a few beats but he finally gives in with a, “Fine.”

 

Emmett nods, “Good. Now, although I shouldn’t be condoning your alcoholism, I need a fucking drink. Maybe a few. Let’s unwind.”

 

Emmett goes over to the liquor cabinet and pours them both a drink. Then they have a second and a third. And you know what? Things are actually pretty nice. And maybe it’s a mistake that they get so drunk they tumble into bed together. Yeah, he lets Brian fuck him for the first time since their one night stand ten years ago but they brush it off easily enough in the morning.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He’s telling him today. 

 

This has gone on long enough. And, although Justin has been crying a lot less and hasn’t been sending him quite as many pictures of cats as he was, he can’t let this go on without Brian knowing what he knows. 

 

He’s just going to march into Brian’s office and tell him that Justin is under a spell. He won’t believe him at all but at least he can say that he’s done everything he can to reconcile this whole situation. It’s ridiculous that he hasn’t done this before now. He was going to tell Emmett but that fucking traitor must have seen his opportunity to hop on Brian after he became single.

 

So he’ll tell him. Right now.

 

Ted makes his way across the office to Brian’s desk before closing the door behind him. 

 

“Brian, we need to talk.”

 

Brian isn’t looking his best but manages to tilt his head before he glares at him.

 

“Does it have anything to do with Kinnetik’s finances?”

 

“No, but-”

 

“Then I don’t want to hear it. Get the fuck out of my office.”

 

“It’s really important.”

 

“I. Don’t. Care.”

 

“BRIAN, JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME!”

 

The roaring command takes Brian by surprise and he stops talking.

 

Ted clears his throat before saying more quietly, “I’m sorry, but it’s important.”

 

“You have thirty seconds.”

 

Ted takes the opportunity to immediately jump in.

 

“Okay well you know how Justin is acting like a total nut case over me now, right? I swear to God, Brian, I’m not into him. I haven’t done anything with him and I could not figure out why he was harassing me and calling me and following me around. He’s really obsessed and it scared the shit out of me. Still does a little, actually. But finally I found out what was going on. You see, I walked outside of the diner and Myst-”

 

“Myst-”

 

He can’t breathe. He can’t fucking breathe! He’s grasping his throat and it feels like he’s having an allergic reaction. He didn’t eat anything for breakfast to cause one and he only has seasonal allergies anyway so what-

 

Oh. Right. Fuck.

 

“My-”

 

Brian crosses his arms over his chest, “Well? Spit it out before I throw you out!”

 

“I can’t- Bri-” Ted whispers clutching his throat, gagging.

 

“Stop fucking around. You aren’t going to gain my sympathy.”

 

And he doesn’t gain Brian’s sympathy. Not until he drops to the ground.

 

“Shit! Ted? Ted?!” Brian yells as he grabs him by the collar before opening his mouth to check his airway. Okay, hold on. I’m calling an ambulance, alright? You’re going to be okay.”

 

In the distance, he can hear Brian on his cell phone, frantically rattling off his medications and his stats before performing CPR on him. He doesn’t think CPR will save him from a magical allergic reaction but he appreciates the gesture anyway.

 

He also appreciates whoever is holding his hand in the ambulance. It’s too large to be Justin’s and the fact that it doesn’t belong to the boy who has been stalking him for the last week and a half really comforts him.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Ted? Teddy? Oh sweetie, wake up.”

 

Ted groans as he opens his eyes to find Emmett sitting by his hospital gurney. 

 

“Wha- What?”

 

“Oh, Teddy!” Emmett says tearfully while squeezing his hand, “I was so worried when Brian called me. I’m so SO glad you are alright!”

 

“Why am I-”

 

“You had some sort of reaction, although they don’t know what it was caused by. Luckily you started breathing before they put a tube down your throat.”

 

Oh. Right. He started choking on nothing right as he got to the big reveal. He shouldn’t be surprised.

 

“Well,” Ted says hoarsely, “You see that I’m fine. Now you can get back to your _lover_.”

 

Emmett sighs.

 

“Yeah, about that...it’s not what you think. Like, at all. Believe me, Teddy, I’m still on your side with all this. I’m just…” Emmett looks around before whispering, “Keeping Brian company. He asked me to do it. He’s embarrassed and wants to move on, alright? Or make people think that he’s moved on.”

 

Ted glares, “Don’t you think that’s sort of taking advantage of his vulnerability?”

 

“I don’t know, probably, but it isn’t like we’re faking anything when we are just around each other. Don’t say anything, alright? He’s lightened up on you in the last several days, hasn’t he?”

 

“Maybe a little, but-”

 

“Just leave it to me. It’ll be fine.”

 

Ted lets out a breath. Maybe it will be different with Emmett.

 

“I need to tell you something too. It’s big.”

 

Emmett immediately leans in, “Do tell!”

 

“It’s serious, Emmett. I know why Justin’s acting the way he is. It’s because-”

 

And, as though he is being warned, his throat starts to feel swollen.

 

He can’t tell anyone. He can’t tell anyone anything.

 

“Ted? What is it? Honey, are you okay?”

 

Ted clears his throat and, after he accepts that he isn’t going to be able to say anything, the swelling goes away.

 

“Yeah. I’m fine. Never mind, it’s not important.”

 

“Are you sure-?”

 

“Yes, Emmett. I’m sure. Where’s Brian?”

 

Emmett clears his throat, “In the lobby. He was really worried about you.”

 

Ted looks at Emmett, waiting for the man to yell “Psych!” 

 

“You’re joking, right? Brian hates me.”

 

But Emmett shakes his head, “He is extremely upset with you, sure. The only reason this is affecting him so much is because he cares so much about you. He’s the one who called 911. He even rode in the ambulance with you and everything. He called me in a complete ball of worry to let me know what happened before he called Debbie and everyone else.”

 

Ted feels a spike of fear at that, “What do you mean, ‘everyone else?’”

 

But Emmett shakes his head, “I told him not to call Justin. As long as no one else told him, he doesn’t know.”

 

Ted relaxes a little at that, “Thanks, Emmett. You know how long they are keeping me?”

 

“No idea. They’ll probably want to run a few more tests before-”

 

“TED?!”

 

No. Why? Just why?

 

Justin runs in and throws himself on top of Ted then weeps into his chest.

 

“When Debbie called to tell me...oh, Ted! I was so worried! My heart stopped in my chest as I thought of your pale cold body in the morgue!”

 

“Justin, I’m fine. Now please, get off of me.”

 

“I can’t, Ted. I just can’t.”

 

He feels anger at that, “Justin, I was rushed to the hospital because I couldn’t breathe! Now get the fuck off me and give me some room!”

 

Justin quickly steps back, as though he’s been burned. 

 

“I...I am so sorry, Ted. I was just so scared. I’ll give you a little room, I swear. I will sit in this chair and keep you company.”

 

Justin clears his throat then turns to Emmett, “Emmett, thank you so much for keeping my Ted company. And please tell Brian that he’s an absolute hero. We would love to take both of you out for dinner. I’ve got it from here.”

 

“Uh, Justin-”

 

But Justin gives Emmett a pointed look and Emmett immediately backs down.

 

“I’ll come and check on you later, Teddy. Bye, guys.”

 

Justin waves him off then looks at Ted with heartbreaking devotion.

 

“Do you need anything? Anything at all? I’ve given you my heart but I can give you the moon and the stars and the sun and the galaxy-”

 

“Water’s fine.”

 

Justin nods and gets the pitcher left by the nurse to pour him a small cup.

 

“Now drink slowly. I’ll hold the cup for you. Small sips, my love,” Justin commands as he holds the cup to Ted’s lips.

 

Ted scowls before taking a drink and pushing the cup away.

 

“I suppose I can’t say anything to get you to leave, can I?”

 

“Nope. You’re stuck with me.”

 

“Goddamn it.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Emmett and Brian go back to the loft and drink in silence. You think they would have learned their lesson from yesterday but when Brian starts kissing his neck and pushing Emmett’s face into the couch cushions, he welcomes Brian’s thick cock inside his body and lets Brian collapse on top of him in a sweaty heap after they both come. Emmett slowly turns around so that he’s on his back. Surprisingly Brian stays in place and lets his head rest on Emmett’s chest. He doesn’t know what makes him do it, but he runs his fingers through Brian’s hair.

 

“You saved his life. These past couple of weeks you have hated him with every fiber of your being yet you were the one who kept him alive.”

 

Brian stays still and says nothing.

 

“People are so incredibly wrong when they say you are a heartless shit. You have a huge heart, Brian Kinney. I’m proud to call you my friend.”

 

He looks down and sees Brian’s face crumple. Just when Emmett is about to ask him what’s gotten him so upset, it goes back to being blank.

 

“Just because I saved his life doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven him. Nothing has changed.”

 

Emmett sighs as Brian gets up off the couch. He expects to be left alone after that but suddenly Brian comes back. Emmett looks up and Brian bends his head down to kiss him. It’s chaste and sweet and there’s something about it that screams something other than friendly or for show. It makes Emmett nervous but before he can say anything else, Brian gets dressed.

 

“I should head back to the office,” Brian tells him, not meeting his eyes, “Will you be here when I get back?”

 

“I’m doing Queer Guy this evening, so probably not.”

 

Brian looks at him before quickly turning away to nod and button up his shirt.

 

“But...I can come over after. If you want me to, that is.”

 

Brian stays nonchalant but then says, “Sounds good. I’ll pick you up from the station.”

 

Quickly, Brian leaves the loft and Emmett stares up at the high ceiling.

 

He has a bad feeling over what just occurred.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

A week passes and Brian still finds himself going through the motions. He misses Justin terribly. He loathes him as well as Ted but he misses them even more. He wants things to go back to the way they were. But they never can.

 

Emmett stayed over every night this past week. He doesn’t know if they are fuck buddies or something more but that’s what they’ve been doing. Fucking. He didn’t think anything would actually occur between the two of them when he had Emmett sign on for this. Maybe it’s a good thing, considering he had literally forgotten about the contest he had with Brandon. Just yesterday, Brandon handed him his crossed off list with a smug look on his face. Brian just dismissed him and he could tell that Brandon had been hoping for more of a reaction. Brian knows he would have won days ago if he had stayed in the game. However, he was pretending to be monogamous with Emmett. And with the way rumors spread in Pittsburgh’s gay community, that meant he actually had to be monogamous. It wasn’t that bad. Emmett was a good fuck and he liked talking to him. He respected him and Emmett made him feel like he didn’t have to be such an asshole all of the time. When he was alone and not fixating over Justin, he even found himself missing him. He wasn’t going to look too deeply into those feelings.

 

He ends up taking a walk to clear his head. He’s been so down and confused so the fresh air will do him good. He walks for a good two miles and he doesn’t stop until he hears a voice.

 

“Would you like a reading? Ten for a palm reading, fifteen for a tarot, and twenty for the zodiac chart.”

 

Brian turns around and finds Mysterious Marilyn of all people a few feet away, standing there by the Roberto Clemente Bridge.

 

“This business location is more ideal for drug dealers, don’t you think? Do you usually stand here and offer your services at 1 o’clock in the morning?”

 

Marilyn tilts her head and gives him a small smile before walking over to him.

 

“Mr. Kinney. You are less predictable than I thought.”

 

Brian has no idea what the lunatic is talking about but just goes along with it.

 

“Well, I do aim to please.”

 

“Oh, I’m not pleased by it at all. You should be even less enthralled. All you are doing is ruining your own life.”

 

Brian sneers at her. He doesn’t need to deal with this bitch. He’s going home.

 

“Go harass some poor gullible schmuck and fuck off.”

 

Brian turns around and jumps back when he finds Mysterious Marilyn right in front of him.

 

“How did you-? That’s not-”

 

“Shhhh. Look into my eyes, dear.”

 

Brian tries to move but he finds himself unable to. What the fuck is going on?

 

“You have hidden your true self away. You’ve buried it so deeply that you don’t know who you are anymore. You feel things so intensely. Especially heartbreak. You are so kind but have forgotten how to show these things. That stops now. Not only will you show how you feel but you will be incapable of holding any feelings of love or sadness in. In two days’ time, you will be free.”

 

Marilyn opens her palm and blows a purple powder in his face. 

 

“You will forget I was here as soon as I snap my fingers. Three. Two. One.”

 

Brian finds himself standing by the bridge alone. He doesn’t know why he decided to stop here. It’s late and he needs to get home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think about Brian/Emmett, Justin/Ted, and this whole crazy situation by reviewing!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The spell over Brian works its magic. Emmett gets a bit of a surprise.

Brian wakes up and looks over to his left then sighs when he remembers that Emmett didn’t spend the night last night. It would have been nice to have a friendly face to wake up to. Sometimes it’s just nice to talk to someone you care about over a nice breakfast.

 

With a heavy heart, Brian gets out of bed. Work is calling and, while he isn’t in the greatest mood, he would like to apologize to his employees over how he’s been treating them the last few weeks. It wasn’t fair to them and they needed to know that he still valued their hard work. Maybe he could take them out to dinner individually. Get to know them all as friends. Having more friends would be wonderful, especially with Justin out of his life.

 

Brian lets out an unexpected sob and sadness overwhelms him. He misses Justin so fucking much. He doesn’t think he will ever get over him.

 

He lets himself cry for the next twenty-seven minutes before he goes to wash off his face. Although he is not ashamed of his heartbreak, he will try to stay strong for the people who depend on him. With that mindset in place, he heads out the door.

 

He decides to walk to work. He loves seeing the people out and about and he tries to greet everyone of them with a friendly smile. He stops at Lindsay’s to see his beautiful son and spends an hour playing with him before Lindsay hesitantly says, “Brian, I need to be getting to work soon.”

 

Brian swallows the lump in his throat, “I know. But he’s just growing up so fast. I needed to see my Sonny boy. I love him so much.”

 

He takes Gus into his arms and squeezes him to his chest. 

 

Gus giggles, “Daddy is acting silly!”

 

“...Brian?”

 

“Uh huh?”

 

“Is everything alright?”

 

Brian shakes his head, “My head feels all funny and I’m sad all the time. But I just need to remind myself that I have you and Gus.”

 

“Of course you do. I’m sorry that you are so sad, Brian. But shouldn’t you be going to work as well?”

 

“I just love him so much…” Brian whispers, cuddling Gus close to him.

 

“I know you do. Maybe....maybe you can have him overnight sometime this week. Would that make you feel better?”

 

Brian gasps in delight, “I would love that! We could make dinner together and watch movies and I’ll read him bedtime stories-”

 

“That sounds wonderful!” Lindsay says with confused enthusiasm, “Well, I need to be going. Gus has preschool and I have to get to the gallery.”

 

Lindsay takes Gus from his strong grip, “Say bye bye to Daddy, Gus!”

 

“Bye bye, Daddy! Love you!”

 

“Goodbye, my sweet and beautiful son.”

 

Lindsay gives him an odd look, “Brian, are you okay?”

 

“I just really love him,” Brian admits as his voice breaks.

 

Lindsay looks around helplessly before patting Brian on the shoulder.

 

“There there. Love can be overwhelming sometimes, I know.”

 

“It’s such a beautiful thing. Love…” Brian trails off.

 

“Maybe you should take the day off and go back to bed.”

 

“Don’t worry about me, Lindsay. I’ll get out of your hair.”

 

“Okay...call me after you get home from work so I’m not worrying about you.”

 

“Don’t be worried. Emmett will take care of me. He’s so good to me.”

 

Brian heads out the door and tries to enjoy the rest of his walk. He gets distracted from where he needs to be when he asks the homeless man who always sits outside of Harpo’s Grocery Store to join him for breakfast. They head across the street to the local deli. He really feels a connection with this man and asks him to talk about his life.

 

“Twelve years ago I was married with a kid and another one on the way. But my wife died in an accident before she got the chance to give birth. I took up drinking and lost my 3 year old son to my sister in Tennessee and have only seen Tommy a handful of times since. I lost my job and lost my house and have been on and off the streets. I can’t seem to keep a job. I’m worthless.”

 

“You AREN’T worthless,” Brian asserts, heartbroken by this man’s view on life, “You are a wonderful person, I can tell. You just need to take control of your life. Let me catch us a cab. I will pay for your stay at a rehabilitation center and we’ll get you back on your feet.”

 

The man looks at Brian, suspicious, “What’s the catch?”

 

But Brian shakes his head, “There’s no catch, Rob. I just want to see you happy and thriving as much as possible.”

 

Rob looks away, emotional, “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to pay you back.”

 

But Brian shakes his head, smiling, “The way you can pay me back is to get sober. See your son again. Move on with your life.”

 

“Th-thank you! I can’t thank you enough. I swear, I’ll get clean. I will work so hard to get back on my feet.”

 

“I know you will. I have faith in you.”

 

Rob sniffles, “You’re an angel, Mr. Kinney.”

 

Brian smirks, “Oh believe me, I’m anything but that.”

 

After Brian gets Rob signed into the facility, he finally goes to work. He greets the security guards with hugs and tells them how much he appreciates the fact that they are willing to sacrifice their lives for his safety. Then he goes to every desk in the main room to tell each of his employees that they are an asset to Kinnetik. He’s letting the janitor know how nice his hair looks today when Cynthia pulls him aside.

 

“Why are you so late?!” Cynthia hisses, dragging him to his office.

 

“I went to get breakfast with a new friend. I think he is ready to move forward with his life so I went with him to the rehabilitation center for moral support. What’s the problem?” Brian asks as he straightens his suit.

 

Cynthia looks at him, bewildered, before continuing, “You weren’t here for the meeting with Brown Athletics. I had to cover it. It went fine but you should have been here.”

 

Brian smiles, “Of course it went fine. You are such a charismatic and beautiful woman. I bet you knocked them out. Cynthia, have I ever told you how much you mean to me? Why don’t we spend much time together outside of work? We are already such wonderful friends.”

 

Cynthia blinks a few times, “Fuck, did you do E before you came?”

 

Brian shakes his head, “Of course not. What kind of boss do you take me for?”

 

“Go...go sit down at your desk. Stop being weird.”

 

“But can we hang out sometime?”

 

“Sure, Brian. Maybe when you are feeling better.”

 

Brian shrugs, “I’m feeling okay right now. My heart has been completely ripped out by the only man I have ever loved but maybe if I broaden my circle a bit I will feel better.”

 

“Right. We’ll talk later.”

 

Brian hugs Cynthia and lets go when she starts pushing him away before he makes his way over to his desk.

 

That’s when he sees Ted.

 

So many feelings shoot straight to his heart when he sees the man. The one most prominent is betrayal but the close second is pure sadness. This was a man who was his close friend and circumstances made it so that wasn’t true anymore. It hurt him. Brian has been pushing him away but he needs to sit down with Ted and explain why he is so hurt.

 

“Hey,” Brian says as he steps into Ted’s office.

 

Ted looks around his office, then at Brian, “B-Brian? You need something?”

 

“I am incredibly upset that you broke my trust by stealing Justin away from me.”

 

Ted groans, “Brian, I swear I don’t want-”

 

“Look, I understand,” Brian says as he sits down in the empty chair, “He’s beautiful and courageous and has a huge cock that works wonders. But you don’t do that to a friend. It isn’t right. And while I know that I shouldn’t steal him away from you, I am going to try to win him back. I love him. Maybe if I succeed in my quest, we can be friends again. But for now, I don’t see that happening.”

 

“Brian-”

 

“I have to get to work.”

 

Brian gets up and heads to his own desk. He ends up getting distracted by donating money to a few foundations that speak to his heart then tries to think of one that would speak to Justin’s heart. He settles on the CCFCK Foundation and donates $5,000 in Justin’s name.

 

Satisfied with his donation to such a good cause, he gets to work. He does that for a couple of hours before he realizes that he should be spending his time figuring out how to win back his true love.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

Emmett’s mind has been all in a tizzy lately. Between Brian’s depression and this new stage in their relationship, he has been a little stressed to say the least. He does not need more drama in his life, that’s for sure. Queens like Bette Davis and Elizabeth Taylor may have been partial to it. Maybe that’s why Emmett never went to Hollywood to star as a leading man.

 

Walking has been a good way for him to clear his mind. He is meeting a potential client in a few hours for coffee and is doing Queer Guy this evening. Now is the perfect time for his new hobby. 

 

He just wishes that this black SUV would quit following him.

 

“I’m not afraid of your tinted windows!” Emmett calls out, lying through his teeth.

 

“I may be a bit on the feminine side, but I do know how to defend myself. I didn’t survive Hazlehurst, Mississippi just by looking pretty!”

 

Emmett starts to walk faster and the SUV speeds up a little bit. He feels his breath quickening and thinks about making a run through the neighbor’s yard when he hears someone hiss out his name.

 

“Emmett! It’s me!”

 

Emmett turns around to see Drew Boyd behind the steering wheel.

 

“Drew? What is wrong with you?! Have you taken up stalking now?”

 

“No! Emmett, no. I just...I needed to see you. Get in the car.”

 

Emmett huffs, “I don’t take orders from ex-lovers.”

 

“Emmett, please!”

 

Emmett lets out a sigh and goes to the passenger side door to get in the car.

 

“Alright. I’m here. What do you need to talk about?”

 

“I...I miss you.”

 

Emmett looks at Drew and his sad and conflicted eyes. He misses him too. But he can’t live a lie. He refused to do that.

 

“That doesn’t matter. You’re married to a very nice woman.”

 

“Sierra knows.”

 

Emmett does a double take at that, “I’m sorry, say that again?”

 

“I was fucking around with a guy I met. A fan. He blackmailed me and released pictures of us together. The tabloids hit the stands this morning.”

 

Emmett winces, “Oh, baby...I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have happened to you.”

 

“Sierra’s heartbroken. She asked me if it was just something I did sometimes or if I was just pretending to be straight. I told her the truth.”

 

“And the truth is?”

 

“That I like to sleep with men. That I have feelings for another man. That I love her but not in the way I should or she deserves.”

 

Emmett sighs, “Poor Sierra. Okay, you can fix this if you want to. We’ll figure out a way to spin this so that-”

 

“What if I don’t want to fix it?”

 

Emmett pauses and stares at Drew in shock.

 

“What do you-”

 

“You’re the man I have feelings for, Emmett. I can’t stop thinking about you. I’ve felt...fucking lost. Ever since you walked away, I haven’t been happy.”

 

“...Drew-”

 

Drew pulls Emmett in and kisses him. It’s filled with so much love and god, he’s missed this. He fell so hard for Drew and the way he feels during this kiss makes him realize that he never stopped falling. 

 

But he made a promise.

 

“Wait,” Emmett forces himself to say as he gently pushes him away, “I’m...I’m sort of seeing someone.”

 

Drew’s eyes fill with pain and he looks away, “Shit.”

 

“It isn’t serious but it’s complicated. I want to be with you, Drew. You just have to be patient until the man I’m seeing is ready to face what he’s going through. So, if you are willing to wait for me...I’m in.”

 

Drew perks up a little and nods, a small smile playing his lips. 

 

“I’ll wait for you, Emmett. I’m lucky I’m even getting a chance. I have to warn you though, shit is going to go down with all of this. I’m lucky no one followed me here.”

 

“We’ll figure it out. It’ll be okay. I promise.”

 

Emmett kisses him once more, “I’m going to walk for a bit. Maybe you can join me when you’re ready.”

 

“I’ll figure it out, Emmett. I swear.”

 

Emmett steps out of the car and Drew drives off. Emmett lets out the breath he feels like he’s been holding in all morning.

 

Even though things have gotten more complicated, somehow his problems feel a little lighter.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

Justin groans when he looks through the peephole then begrudgingly opens the door.

 

“Another order for Justin Taylor,” the delivery man says, probably as aggravated as he is.

 

“Just put them with the others,” Justin dismisses.

 

The man comes in and sets the flower arrangement next to the six others he has gotten from Brian in the last three days. 

 

“Looks like you have quite the admirer,” the man comments as he looks at the flowers.

 

“Yeah, well his gifts aren’t going to work on me. He knows I have dedicated my love to another man and he’ll just have to suck it up. Next time he calls to place an order, tell him to stop being so pathetic and give these flowers to his actual partner. Tell him those exact words. You hear me?”

 

Justin signs the paper and the man leaves, confused over the exchange.

 

Justin looks over to the new bouquet and decides to read what Brian has written now. With a sigh, he opens the envelope.

 

**My fair porcelain prince,**

 

**What else can I say to you that will make you love me once more? I can remind you of all the wonderful times we’ve had. The time we took down Stockwell. The time we brought home that hot Spanish guy so I could watch you fuck him. That one time where we cuddled. But I think it would be wise of me to list a few of the reasons why I love you:**

**1\. I love your beautiful hair, which is the color of the sun and smells like strawberries.**

**2\. I love the way you laugh. It reminds me of fairy wings fluttering in the springtime air.**

**3\. I love the way your smile lights up the room and brings those around you pure joy.**

**4\. I love the way you snore softly when your allergies are acting up.**

**5\. I love the way you kiss my neck.**

**6\. I love how your bubble butt looks in those jeans I bought you.**

**7\. I love being inside you.**

**8\. I love when you are inside me, even if I try to downplay it.**

**9\. I love your kindness.**

**10\. I love it when you take care of me, even when I try to push you away.**

**I love you, Sunshine. That’s what you are. My sunshine. “You Are My Sunshine” was a song written by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell in 1939. Who knew that it would take 44 years for someone who fit the lyrics to be born? You are my sunshine, Justin Taylor. You make me happy when skies are gray. Hopefully this letter lets you know how much I love you. Please tell Ted not to take my sunshine away.**

 

**Love,**

 

**Brian**

 

Justin scoffs and balls up the letter before throwing it in the trash. Brian is so desperate. Can’t he see that Justin has moved on for good with his one true love? Hopefully Brian got over this little crush quickly so that he could finally be fully happy with Emmett. That was the man Brian was truly meant to be with. Justin just knew it. 

 

Justin is just about to go over to Ted’s when his cell phone rings. He gets it out of his pocket and answers.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Is this Justin Taylor?” a woman asks, sounding excited.

 

“Speaking.”

 

“Sir, we just wanted to thank you for giving such a generous donation to the Comfortable Clothes for Cute Kitties Foundation. Your support is so important to us and we are calling to let you know that we are making a shirt in your honor for you and your cat. What size do you wear?”

 

“Uh...Medium? Listen, I’m not sure-”

 

“Great! And your cat?”

 

“I don’t have one. But I guess I can give it to my roommate’s cat. She’s about 14 pounds, I think. But-”

 

“We will send those straight away to the address listed. Thank you so much for your generous donation of five thousand dollars! Have a meowtastic day!”

 

The woman hangs up and Justin looks at his phone, puzzled over the conversation. He wonders who donated that much money under his name. At least it was for a great cause.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Emmett has been distracted all day. He’s so worried about Brian that he even thought about calling off work tonight. The man is sweet one second then crying the next. He’s constantly telling Emmett how much he appreciates him and has been incredibly needy. Last night Emmett had to hold him until he fell asleep. He knows Brian is trying to win Justin back. He saw the receipts for the flowers. But Brian is also being ridiculously sweet in bed with him so it doesn’t seem as though Brian’s attempts are working out as of yet. It’s all so confusing. So, while he is very worried about Brian, he really needed a break. Work was the perfect excuse. 

 

Work keeps him pretty busy. He writes up his script, sends it up to the director and walks up to the studio in preparation for Queer Guy Minute. It’s then when he sees Drew Boyd walk by with the Sports Anchor.

 

“Okay, so I’ll ask you a few questions about the tabloids and you’ll confirm that they’re fake because, come on, you’re Drew Boyd. Then we’ll shoot the shit on the playoffs.”

 

“Right, got it.”

 

Emmett feels a lump in his throat and forces himself not to say anything. But when Drew glances at him and gives him a subtle wink, he knows that the man is up to something.

 

They all get quick touch-ups on their make-up and sit down in their places, ready to start the show.

 

“In five, four, three, two”

 

“Welcome to Channel 5 Action News!”

 

Headlines on fires, accidents, and arrests are covered in the headlines before the first commercial break. Drew comes up to sit at the desk in the B block and Emmett stands off to the side to watch what is about to unfold.

 

“Drew Boyd is with us tonight. Many titles may come to your mind when you think of Drew Boyd. Football star. Philanthropist. Husband. A hero to a lot of young boys out there. But the tabloids that hit the stands a few days ago are adding another title to that list. Gay. Now Drew, we grew up together. You’re a man’s man and a good man at that. I hate the way someone is altering these pictures to sling your name through the mud. Would you like to clear up a few things for the viewers?”

 

Drew clears his throat, “Well, Bud. You know me. I like sports, beer, hanging out with the boys. Nothing about me would make people think I am gay. Except for these pictures.”

 

“Which are fake, of course,” Bud adds in.

 

“Actually, they aren’t.”

 

Bud blinks a few times, “I’m sorry, what?”

 

“I didn’t authorize their release. The man I was with that night blackmailed me but released them regardless. But that doesn’t make them any less real.”

 

“...No, I don’t believe it. You’re Drew Boyd. You’re…”

 

“I believe the word you are looking for is gay, Bud. I hid this part of myself for a long time but I’m ready to face it now.”

 

Bud starts to get angry at this point. Great.

 

“So you are saying you’re like that _fairy_ over there?!”

 

Drew glares, “We’re different in a lot of ways. But that _fairy_ is one of the bravest men I have ever met. He’s been there for me and is the first person I felt like I could be myself around.”

 

Drew suddenly gets up and makes his way over to Emmett.

 

“Might as well go all out,” Drew mumbles before bringing him in for a passionate kiss.

 

Emmett feels euphoric. He’s light on his feet and melts as he moves his lips against Drew’s. And even though he promptly gets fired right after, he feels better than he has in months.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

“I would like to place an order for five dozen roses. Delivery, please,” Brian says hopefully to the florist.

 

The girl looks up, “Didn’t you come in this morning?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“...Right. Name of the recipient?” She asks as she gets on the computer.

 

“Justin Taylor. T-A-Y-L-O-R.”

 

The florist types it in and pauses.

 

“Um...Mr. Taylor has stated that he is denying all future gifts from this establishment.”

 

Brian stares at the woman, “Did he say why?”

 

“...Yes,” the woman hesitantly answers.

 

“Then what’s the reason?”

 

“He gave our delivery man this quote, ‘Tell him to stop being so pathetic and give these flowers to his actual partner.’”

 

Brian blinks back the instant tears.

 

“Shit. Look, this stuff happens all the time. I wouldn’t worry about him. He doesn’t deserve them if he’s going to be like that.”

 

“But I love him!” Brian wails, covering his face with his hands.

 

“Oh…” the woman frets looking around, “Here’s a coupon. 50% off your next purchase. Feel better?”

 

“N-No!”

 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Kinney.”

 

“I need to go,” Brian says suddenly, backing out of the store.

 

When he gets outside, it’s as if the earth knows exactly how he is feeling. It starts to pour down the rain and soon, he’s completely soaked. The only good thing about the weather is that it hides his tears.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

“Justin! JUSTIN!!!!”

 

Justin looks at Daphne then looks out the window. Through the pouring rain, he can see Brian’s silhouette, standing there in the dark of night.

 

“Is that Brian?” Daphne asks, getting up to look outside.

 

“Ugh. Yes. Wait here,” Justin answers, exasperated.

 

“Oh my god, Justin! He’s trying to win you back!” Daphne squeals. 

 

“Oh, please,” Justin rolls his eyes, “Why would I go back to being one half of Britin when I am a part of Tustin? Tustin sounds so much better. I don’t know why you are team Britin. Why would you be team Britin when you can be team Tustin?”

 

“JUSTIN!!!!!”

 

“Stop being insane and go talk to him!” Daphne yells and pushes him to the door.

 

Justin glares but does what he’s told. Brian probably won’t be leaving anytime soon so maybe letting him down in person will get him to back off.

 

Justin walks outside, barefoot and already soaked three feet out the door, then approaches Brian.

 

“What do you want, Brian?” Justin asks warily.

 

“Justin,” Brian gasps, “Justin, please…”

 

“What? What do you want?”

 

“I’m so sorry for not giving you what you needed before. You deserved everything in the world and I didn’t see that until it was too late. I love you so fucking much. I can’t stand the idea of us being apart. I know we belong together and I know you think you feel something for Ted. But Justin, please...don’t you feel anything for me too?”

 

Justin looks at Brian. Really looks at him. And for one split second, he feels something real. Something genuine for the man. It’s strong but it is fleeting. After it goes away all he can think about is Ted singing along with one of his opera albums.

 

“I’m sorry, Brian. But I don’t love you like that anymore. I love Ted. Now go home to Emmett. You’re just confused. Goodbye.”

 

Justin turns around and ignores the sob Brian lets out. Now would be a good time to call Ted and tell him about his day.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

He’ll just tell him. Brian knew that he was having trouble getting over someone else so there shouldn’t be any issue with Emmett leaving to be with someone he genuinely has strong feelings for. Brian will understand. The deal will be off but he and Brian were friends when it came down to it and this little affair had brought them even closer in some ways.

 

Emmett is torn from his thought when the door opens.

 

A soaking wet, sad as fuck Brian steps in. His head hangs low with grief and he walks towards Emmett to put his forehead on his shoulder.

 

“Baby, what is it?” Emmett asks, rubbing Brian’s back.

 

“You’re the only person I have left who understands me,” Brian whispers, mostly ignoring the question.

 

“What are you-”

 

But Emmett is broken off with a kiss. It’s desperate and loving. Brian is putting his all in it and it’s making him extremely nervous.

 

Emmett pulls away, “Brian, Brian. Come sit down.”

 

Brian follows Emmett and doesn’t seem to care when his wet clothes touch the Italian leather sofa.

 

“Now, what’s going through your brain?”

 

Brian stares at him, “I feel something for you. Romantically.”

 

Emmett blinks a few times, trying to interpret that another way. Brian has to be joking.

 

“Now, Brian-”

 

“It’s true. I really really like you, Emmett. I can see myself being with you,” Brian tells him sincerely before he leans in to kiss him again.

 

“Brian, stop,” Emmett tells him firmly.

 

“Why?”

 

“Oh, honey...you’re just confused right now. You’re heartbroken. I’ve been here a lot and we haven’t exactly been playing cards or watching television.”

 

“Emmett, I’m not saying I love you. Not yet. It’s too soon. I’m just saying that one day I could love you,” Brian admits, holding Emmett’s face between his hands.

 

“Brian-”

 

“Please. Tell me you feel the same. Or maybe you are willing to try to get to that point with me,” Brian requests desperately.

 

Emmett stares at Brian and he sees the pain there. He could go along with it. Being with Brian would be okay. They have proven that they get along well and they are compatible sexually. 

 

But then he thinks about that kiss with Drew. That’s what makes his pulse quicken and the sparks fly.

 

“I’m sorry, Brian. I don’t feel the same way as you do. I shouldn’t have agreed to pretend to be with you when you were so vulnerable. You’re lonely, I get it. But I have feelings for another man. If you would have watched the news tonight, you would know who I am talking about. I lost my job because of it. I need to give it a shot with him. I’m so sorry.”

 

Brian looks away and Emmett can hear him sniffling. Shit.

 

“Oh, baby, it’s going to be alright! I’m so sorry you are this down. I hate that I am hurting you more. I never wanted to hurt you.”

 

“I’ll never have anyone,” Brian chokes out, “I’ll always be alone.”

 

“Hey,” Emmett tells him firmly, “That’s not true. You have so many great qualities. You are smart, successful, good looking-”

 

“None of that fucking matters if everyone thinks I’m too slutty to stay in a relationship!” Brian fumes as he gets up and kicks over the barcelona chair.

 

“Brian-”

 

“I had Justin. And I f-fucking blew it. I’m still in love with him but it’s fucking over. But then I started having feelings for you and you don’t want me either. I must be really fucking undesirable,” Brian sobs out.

 

“Hey, don’t say that! What’s going on with you? You’re scaring me.”

 

“Just go back to Debbie’s!”

 

“Brian, I’m not leaving you when you are this upset-”

 

“JUST GO!”

 

It may be the terrifying way Brian roars out the order, but Emmett gets up and leaves. He’ll get his clothes some other day. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Brian trashed his apartment to all hell before collapsing on the bed, wailing out his heartache. He has no one. He’ll always be alone. Why did he ever think he wanted that? It’s so fucking miserable.

 

Brian’s breath hitches as he sits up on the bed and rubs his face. He’ll never find anyone in Pittsburgh. That much is for sure. Everyone thinks he is an aging club boy. He’s fucking pathetic. If he lives alone like this for any longer, knowing how pathetic he is, he’ll fucking end it.

 

So Brian gets up, slowly and with meaning, and walks over to his computer. He gets on Pittsburgh International’s website and books the last flight out of the state.

 

He’ll miss his Sonny Boy and he’ll miss all of his friends. But it’s for the best. He’ll run Kinnetik from his new home until he has the correct funds to open a new office. 

 

It may take a while, but he’ll be okay. His new identity starts now.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

_Hey stud, wanna dance?_

 

_Some asshole told me that if you believe in something, you have to be willing to sacrifice everything._

 

_It was ridiculously romantic._

 

_Sunshine, what would I do without you?_

 

_Justin! Justin!_

 

_Darling, save the last dance for me._

 

Justin wakes up on the floor, gasping for breath.

 

“Justin, what the fuck happened? You passed out! I’m calling an ambulance,” Daphne informs him as she reaches for her phone.

 

“No, don’t, I’m fine. Fuck, I’m not fine. Jesus Christ, what the fuck is wrong with me?”

 

“Justin?”

 

“God, Ted...karaoke...cats...Brian...oh, Brian!” Justin cries out, getting up from the floor.

 

“Justin, what is going on?”

 

“I don’t know what happened to me but I completely broke Brian’s heart a few hours ago. I love him, Daphne. I really do. And now I need to go fix it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three more chapters! Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think by reviewing!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Justin makes a grand gesture.

Justin’s eyes dart around the room, looking for something that could possibly aide him in cleaning up this catastrophic mess. God, the things he said and did in front of his friends. The way he broke up with Brian. Fuck, the way he sang a Lionel Richie song to Ted Schmidt. There had to be something wrong with him. No one in their right mind would have done the things that he did. He didn’t even think twice about it. What the hell? As soon as he got Brian back, he would march straight into the psychiatric unit at Allegheny General and admit himself. If he had done all the things that he remembered, then it was obvious he was mentally ill.

 

“Where are my shoes? Daphne, where are my tennis shoes?!” Justin says, going over to put his hands on her shoulders.

 

“By the couch?” Daphne suggests, confused.

 

“Good thinking.”

 

Justin rushes over to the couch/his bed, praying he will find the shoes that will shelter his feet from the damaging storm that haunts the outside world.

 

“So are you going to the loft?”

 

Justin nods his head, “That would be the most logical place to go. Fuck! Where are my shoes?!”

 

“Don’t you have another pair?”

 

“No!”

 

“...Seriously?”

 

Justin sighs, “I left a couple of pairs at Brian’s. I have my tennis shoes and my dress shoes but Seraphina peed on my dress shoes and they’ve never been the same.”

 

Daphne glares, “I told you I would replace them if-”

 

“Daphne, you’ve done enough by letting me stay here and putting up with my insane heart-eyed bullshit. I should have gone to get a new pair. Seriously, where are my shoes?!”

 

“You want to borrow a pair of mine?”

 

Justin scoffs, “Your feet are a fraction of the size mine are. You know what? Fuck it.”

 

Justin gets up, walks to the door, and puts his jacket on. He’s about to head out the door when Daphne grabs his arm.

 

“Justin, you aren’t going to chase after Brian barefoot, are you?”

 

Justin stares at her, eyes filled with meaning and purpose, “Sometimes you just need to bare a part of yourself that isn’t normally seen in order for someone to realize how much you love them.”

 

Daphne blinks, “So you want to show Brian your feet.”

 

“And my heart! God, Daphne! Aren’t you listening? Now please let go of my arm. I must start my search for the love of my life. The _real_ love of my life.”

 

At top speed, Justin dashes outside and runs down the street in the pouring rain. His pink posse training did him well. He’s fast. He’s agile. And, although he will face serious callouses by the time this is all over, it’s worth it. He’d run barefoot over miles upon miles of hot coals if it meant Brian was on the other side. 

 

“Justin?” he hears a voice say.

 

Justin looks towards his right and sees Daphne driving along the road.

 

“Not now, Daphne! Can’t you see when a man is on a mission?”

 

Daphne scoffs, “I was just going to offer to give you a ride.”

 

Justin stops running, “Oh. That would be nice. Thank you.”

 

Justin gets over on the passenger side and hops in the car. Yes, this is probably the better alternative. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------

“Brian! BRIAN!!!!!”

 

“Justin, I don’t think anyone’s here. All the lights are off and someone would have come out by now,” Daphne tells him through her rolled down window.

 

“Fuck!” Justin exclaims as he wracks his brain for somewhere else to look.

 

“Okay, let’s go look at Woody’s and Babylon.”

 

Justin gets back in the car and Daphne drives over to Liberty Avenue. He goes to Woody’s and asks Peter if he’s seen Brian. Peter shakes his head and lets him know that he’ll give Justin a call if he does see him around. Despite the rain, there are people dancing at Babylon. Justin shrugs off people’s advances, looks in the back room, the bathroom, and Brian’s office upstairs but to no avail. He even cuts the music, jumps on one of the dance platforms, and yells down at the crowd.

 

“Have any of you seen Brian Kinney?”

 

Mumbles are heard and someone yells, “I sucked his cock two months ago but he fell off the radar with Honeycutt!”

 

Justin nods his head solemnly. He had expected that he would have to confront Emmett sooner rather than later. He doesn’t know what he will say to his competition but he does know that he might need the man’s help.

 

“Thank you all. Please proceed with your dancing, grinding, sucking, and fucking.”

 

Justin hops off the stage and runs back to Daphne’s car.

 

“No luck?” Daphne inquires.

 

Justin shakes his head, “Nope.”

 

“Where to next?”

 

“Debbie Novotny’s.”

 

“You think Brian might be there?”

 

“Maybe. But even if he’s not, I know someone who can help us.”

\------------------------------------------------------------

Daphne parks the car and walks up to the house with Justin. Justin grabs her hand in a form of solidarity and, since she is Daphne, she obviously understands that he needs her support.

 

“Why are you holding my hand?” Daphne frowns.

 

Or she still thinks he’s a lunatic.

 

“Thank you for putting up with so much of my shit this past month and still being okay with taking me around to find Brian.”

 

“Yeah, you did go completely nuts. But you’re still my best friend. I have to ask though...where does Ted fit into all of this?”

 

Justin shudders. He’ll figure out how to let Ted know he didn’t feel that way anymore. Recalling the man’s responses to Justin’s advances, he’ll probably be relieved but still avoid him for a while. Fuck, he’s lucky he’s not in prison for stalking.

 

Justin knocks on the door with his free hand and is greeted by a recognizable face.

 

“Hey aren’t you a tennis player or something?” Justin asks him, giving him a once over.

 

“Uh...no. I play football.”

 

Justin nods, not really caring.

 

“Right...Is Emmett here? Or Debbie?”

 

“Yeah, come in.”

 

Justin and Daphne step through the threshold and see Debbie and Carl on the the couch in their pajamas.

 

“Hey, Sunshine!” Debbie calls out after she takes her spoon out of her mouth, “You meet Drew? He’s hiding out here from the paparazzi.”

 

“Yes, Debbie. He answered the door,” Justin informed her needlessly, “Have you seen Brian?”

 

Debbie shakes her head, “Nope. Emmett went to go talk to him. Poor thing is in for some more heartbreak.”

 

“What? Brian wasn’t at the loft.”

 

“He wasn’t? Emmett has been gone for a couple of hours. Maybe Brian went to Babylon or Woody’s.”

 

“He wasn’t there when I checked either. We tried to call him but his cell phone is off...hey, what did you mean Brian’s going to be heart-”

 

The door swings open and a wet Emmett comes in.

 

“Emmett?” Drew asks, immediately standing up, “Is everything alright? You’ve been gone for a while.”

 

“He was so upset, Drew,” Emmett murmurs, accepting Drew’s embrace, “I feel so guilty.”

 

“Emmett, what’s going on? Where’s Brian?”

 

Emmett lifts his head at the inquiry. His eyes focus on Justin before he glares.

 

“ _You._ ” Emmett seethes, “This is _your_ fault.”

 

“Hey!” Daphne jumps in, “Justin has been searching for Brian for over an hour.”

 

“Really? Has he? Now he cares?”

 

“Emmett, I can’t explain my behavior for the past month but please! What’s going on with Brian?”

 

Emmett lets out a sigh, “He’s been strange for the last few days. Overly appreciative and emotional. Telling everyone how much he cares about them.”

 

“I know that already. His love notes were terrifying.”

 

“Right. Did he see you earlier?”

 

Just hangs his head, “Yes. And I was awful. I can’t explain why because I don’t know why I acted like that. It’s like I’ve been under a spell of some sort.”

 

“Yeah, you have been crazy to say the least. But Brian was too hurt to see that you needed to be committed. He came back to the loft, completely upset and lonely. We became close during this whole relationship farce-”

 

“You faked it?!”

 

“He wanted to make you think he moved on as well! But, like I said, we became close during all this and I think he formed a little bit of a crush on me. He wasn’t in love with me or anything but he was so lonely and you had taken away any hopes of the two of you getting back together. On top of that, he has been emotional and clingy and not himself at all. He...he tried to propose that we make our relationship real. I knew he was only asking because he had given up on winning you back and he realized he wanted to be in a relationship. Being with Brian wouldn’t be so bad. These past few weeks have proven that we have multiple types of chemistry-”

 

“ _Excuse me?_ ”

 

“Shhh, let me finish,” Emmett requests as he puts a finger on Justin’s lips, “I turned him down. I’m in love with Drew. And even if I wasn’t, Brian is still in love with you. I wouldn’t take advantage of any feelings Brian has for me because once that loneliness and desperation fades away, any feelings he thinks he has for me probably would too. But his feelings for you are pretty fucking permanent.”

 

Justin feels overwhelmed but he manages to get a hold of himself, “Emmett, please. You have to help me. When did you see him last?”

 

“A little over two hours ago. But I’m not going to help you if you are still hung up over Ted.”

 

“Believe me, I’m not. I don’t understand what happened there but...I’m back.”

 

Emmett nods, “Then I’ll help you.”

 

Debbie jumps in, “I want to help too. Carl can use his patrol car to break some traffic laws if we need to.”

 

Carl looks up, “Uh, sweetheart? What have I told you about wanting me to abuse the system?”

 

But the glare Debbie gives him is enough to get Chuck Norris, John Wayne, and Bruce Lee to sit back down.

 

“Well, I’m in too!” Carl exclaims with fake enthusiasm.

 

Justin nods, determined for this to end in success.

 

“Let’s go find Brian.”

 

They all start heading out the door. Behind him, he can hear Drew stop Emmett.

 

“You love me?”

 

Even though his back is turned, he knows Emmett is smiling.

 

With that, Emmett, Justin, and Drew pile in Daphne’s car while Carl leads the way to the home of Michael Novotny.

\-------------------------------------------------------

“Michael!”

 

“Michael!”

 

“Michael!”

 

“....Michael. Emmett, I don’t want to yell. It’s getting late.”

 

“Miiiiichaelllll!”

 

“MICHAEL!!!!!”

 

“Jesus Christ!” Michael yells, finally opening the door, “Have ANY of you heard of knocking?”

 

“They did knock,” Hunter calls out to Michael, then speaks to them, "These two probably couldn't hear over their exuberant fucking. It caused their headboard to bang against the wall. 'Oh Ben! Harder! Faster!' Thump. Thump. Thump."

 

Michael glares at his son, “Get back to bed!”

 

“Whatever.”

 

“Michael, have you seen Brian?” Emmett asks, desperation lacing his voice.

 

“No. I haven’t seen him since the other day when he stopped by to tell me how much appreciated our friendship. Then he started crying. It was upsetting,” Michael says before he stops to think, “Why? Did he do something drastic? Shit, where is he?”

 

“We don’t know. That’s what we’re trying to find out,” Justin informs him.

 

Michael narrows his eyes, “Since when have you given a shit about Brian? Last I heard you were off with one of his closest friends!”

 

Justin groans, “I have problems, I get it. I don’t know what happened. I went nuts. But I need to find him to try to fix it.”

 

Michael straightens his shoulders, “Then I’m coming too. BEN!”

 

Ben comes down, shirtless and delectable.

 

“Yeah, baby?”

 

“We’re forming a search party to find Brian. Want to come?”

 

“Uh...sure. Just let me get a shirt on.”

 

“You don’t have to,” Drew says in a trance. 

 

“Oh, don’t mind him. He’s new to all of this. And to all of that,” Emmett excuses, gesturing to Ben’s abs.

 

“Well, as flattering as you all ogling me is, it’s sort of cold so I’m going to bundle up.”

 

“We have to leave now though!” Justin exclaims. 

 

“Have you checked Lindsay’s?” Ben asks at the foot of the steps.

 

“No. Great thinking. Meet us there,” Justin orders before rushing out the door.

 

By the time Ben, Michael, and a reluctant Hunter make it to Lindsay’s, the rest of the gang is already being let down.

 

“He came by an hour and a half ago,” Lindsay confirms, “His eyes were all bloodshot and puffy. He was so upset. He just wanted to play with Gus for a little bit and told me he would call me in a few days to let me know what was going on. I tried calling his cell phone a couple of times but-”

 

“It’s off,” Justin finishes, “We know. Did he say anything about where he was going?”

 

“No. Do you think he would do something drastic?”

 

“I don’t know, Lindsay. We need to find him. So let’s get to our cars and keep the search going.”

 

They all turn around and take a few steps only to realize that Lindsay isn’t following.

 

“Aren’t you coming?” Debbie asks, smacking her gum.

 

Lindsay looks at them, “I have a four year old and it’s midnight! I can’t just leave.”

 

“Then you get Gus’s cute behind up and pack him up in the car. When we find Brian, he might need to see his son.”

 

“You’re going to use my son as a tool? Seriously?”

 

Debbie shrugs, “That’s what kids are for.”

 

Michael makes an offended sound, “Excuse me-!”

 

“I’ll get his shoes and coat on. Where are you going next?”

 

“The loft,” They all say in unison.

 

“I’ll meet you there.”

 

And there they go. Back to the loft to search for the elusive Mr. Kinney.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

“Fuck! He’s still not home!” Justin exclaims as he rings the bell for the fiftieth time. 

 

“Where else does Brian hang out that you haven’t been to yet?”

 

“The baths.”

 

“Kinnetik.”

 

“Liberty Diner.”

 

Justin thinks and comes up with nothing else, “Yeah, that’s about it. He’s not a huge fan of variety. Okay, so we’ll go-”

 

“You won’t find him in any of those places.”

 

The gang turns around and finds Brian’s elderly neighbor with her dog outside of the main door.

 

“Evie!” Justin exclaims, “Have you seen or heard from Brian?”

 

Evie lets out a sigh, “Yes, I have. I came home just as he was ready to go so he didn’t have much choice but to tell me.”

 

Justin gasps, “Evie, please.”

 

“Ms. Abbott.”

 

Justin tilts his head, “Evie, come on you never-”

 

“You hurt Brian so it’s Ms. Abbott.”

 

“I swear to god, I never wanted to hurt him. It’s the last thing I ever wanted to do. I don’t know what came over me but I will never forgive myself for the damage I caused. This is all my fault-”

 

“It’s not your fault.”

 

Justin turns at the sound of the voice only to find Mysterious Marilyn standing there with a slightly guilty look on her face.

 

“What...What are you talking about?”

 

Marilyn groans, “Okay, there’s no easy way to say this so I’ll just spit it out. I cast a spell on you so you would fall in love with Ted. You know Ted, right?”

 

Meredith snaps her fingers and Ted appears out of thin air and falls into a heap on the sidewalk.

 

“What the-hey! Where? Huh?” Ted stammers, confused.

 

“But it wasn’t to hurt you, sweetie. It was to get Brian to realize how great he had it with you. Of course the asshole has to be stubborn as hell and I had to curse him to be more open with himself. But, silly me, I made the spell a _little_ too strong again and he became a ridiculous, overly sensitive, overly sentimental, drama queen. You probably could have put a paper bag in front of him and he would have found a reason to find its beauty, Jesus Christ.”

 

“ _You_...” Justin seethes before he explodes.

 

“How dare you!” Justin screams before diving for Marilyn.

 

Marilyn stops Justin’s dive in mid-air. 

 

“Honey, you do not want to fight me,” Marilyn scolds him as she slowly lowers Justin back on the sidewalk.

 

“I do. I want to make you hurt.”

 

“H-honey,” Emmett says as he pulls back on Justin’s shoulder, “She’s pretty scary. I don’t think you want to fight her.”

 

“Listen to Emmett, dear,” Marilyn smirks, “I may have done this for your benefit but I still like my drama. Maybe I’ll make things worse just for fun.”

 

The group stares at her in fear and she continues, “Now, Brian is very vulnerable right now so if you find him you are going to have to be romantic. He’s not going to be satisfied with just a quick fuck in the bathroom.”

 

“Where is he?”

 

“I’m afraid you’ll just have to-”

 

“He’s at Pittsburgh International!” Evie interrupts, “He’s taking a plane to New Orleans. Plans on moving there.”

 

“What, why?!” Justin asks, distressed.

 

“He said he needed to start a life in a place where people can take him seriously. I told him he was being drastic but the boy wouldn’t listen.”

 

“Shit! We have to stop him!”

 

The whole group turns to Marilyn. She stares at their angry and serious faces then rolls her eyes.

 

“Oh fine,” she gives in as she snaps her fingers.

 

It’s quick but it’s intense. One second they are outside the loft and the next they all feel a sharp pull at their diaphragm. The rush is exhilarating but within seconds it’s over and they are standing in the airport terminal. 

 

“Dude! That was awesome!” Hunter exclaims, quickly getting up.

 

“It wasn’t the best thing for my joints,” Evie admits, but gets up fine with Emmett’s help.

 

Gus starts to sob, scared over what just occurred.

 

“Oh sweetheart, it’s all right!” Lindsay soothes before she hisses, “See?! This is why I didn’t want to take him out this late!”

 

“...Because you thought he would be magically transported through space?” Michael asks.

 

“Yes,” Lindsay answers with a straight face, “Along with other reasons.”

 

“We have to find Brian,” Justin reminds him, already searching for his lost love.

 

There has to be only one flight left to New Orleans, that is if they haven’t missed it yet. They just have to-

 

“Woof woof! Woof!” Abby barks, trying to pull Evie to the left.

 

Justin rushes over and squats in front of her.

 

“What is it, girl?” Justin asks, as he pets her fur.

 

“Woof woof!” Abby insists, pulling harder.

 

“You know where Brian is?”

 

“Woof!”

 

“Lead the way, Abby.”

 

Justin unhooks Abby’s leash and she takes off running. The gang runs after her while Evie finds a mobility scooter so that she can keep up. Abby runs with purpose as she searches for the man who walks her when her owner isn’t feeling up to par. She must find him. He always looks so disgusted when he picks up her poop and it always amuses her.

 

 _“Now boarding for flight 157 to New Orleans,”_ a voice over the intercom states.

 

“Hurry up, guys!” Justin calls out as they follow Abby. 

 

“Hey! What’s that dog doing loose?” a security guard yells.

 

“It’s for love, sir!” Emmett proclaims.

 

“I don’t give a shit about-”

 

“Really, sir. It’s for love,” Drew confirms, turning around and running at the same time.

 

“Dr-Drew Boyd? You’re my hero, Mr. Boyd!”

 

“I’m just a man,” Drew calls out, “You’re the hero!”

 

“You hear that, everyone?” the guard says to anyone who will listen, “Drew Boyd called me a hero!”

 

“Glad I still have some pull,” Drew mutters to Emmett.

 

They make a sharp turn and Abby stops in her tracks but keeps barking. And there he is. In line, with his Prada carry-on bag, is Brian Kinney.

 

“BRIAN!!!!!!!” Justin yells, waiting for his lover to turn around.

 

Brian stops in his tracks but doesn’t turn around. Even though there is quite a distance between the two of him, he can see Brian’s shoulders shaking. 

 

“Brian, please! Turn around!” Justin calls out.

 

The overwhelming silence and the people stopping in their tracks don’t bother him. The only thing that bothers him is that he can tell Brian is fighting acknowledging him. He’s fighting it so hard. But Justin breathes out a sigh of relief when he loses the battle.

 

“Why? I’m not the man you want, Justin! I’m less than what you deserve! You’re in love with Ted! He’s who you should be with! You said it yourself!”

 

“I was wrong! I was messed up in the head! Brian, I love-”

 

“When you and Ted are in the same room, I can see a man in love! You loved him more than anything! I won’t keep you from that!” Brian shouts before his voice breaks, “You sang for him! You never sang for me! Don’t tell me that doesn’t mean something!”

 

Without another word, Brian turns around and moves up in line. Justin knows he is probably going to make a fool out himself but what’s one more time in this crazy month?

 

Justin rushes over to the help desk.

 

“I need access to your intercom.”

 

“Sir, we don’t allow-”

 

“It’s important!”

 

Before she can answer, Drew steps in.

 

“Ma’am, he’s a man on a mission. So if you could just do what he says.”

 

The woman looks at him confused, “Hey, aren’t you a golf player or something?”

 

Drew huffs, “ _Excuse me?_ ”

 

“Ma’am?” Emmett says, stepping in, “He is trying to win back the love of his life. He’s about to go John Hughes on us. I’m sure it will be quite entertaining.”

 

“Oh my god,” the woman gasps, “You’re the Queer Guy! I watch your show all the time. I even taped today’s show to watch it tonight!”

 

“Oh my god, a fan!” Emmett squeals, “So, just between us girls, can you do my friend a favor?”

 

The woman hesitates but nods, “Alright. Go ahead.”

 

Justin rushes behind the desk and turns on the intercom microphone. 

 

“If I can have everyone’s attention please,” Justin announces after clearing his throat. 

 

The whole airport quiets down.

 

“I’m a man in love and I’m a man who has lost. I’d like to dedicate this song to the man I refuse to let walk away. Brian Kinney, this is for you.”

 

Justin realizes he has nothing prepared and wracks his brain for something that he knows. He could probably come up with something better but this song will have to do.

 

**Close your eyes, give me your hand, darlin'  
** Do you feel my heart beating  
Do you understand  
Do you feel the same  
Am I only dreaming  
Is this burning an eternal flame 

**I believe it's meant to be, darlin'  
** I watch you when you are sleeping  
You belong with me  
Do you feel the same  
Am I only dreaming  
Or is this burning an eternal flame 

 

He has great friends. He really does. What other friends would harmonize the back-up vocals, just to help him sound good?

 

He knows it’s having an effect on Brian. Brian isn’t facing him but he is glued to the spot. Justin would like to think that Brian is hypnotized by his voice.

 

**Say my name  
** Sun shines through the rain  
A whole life so lonely  
And then come and ease the pain  
I don't want to lose this feeling, oh 

 

“ _Come on, Brian. Turn around!_ ” Justin thinks as his friends hum out the instrumentals. If this doesn’t work, he doesn’t know what will. God, they’re almost finished. If Brian doesn’t turn around soon-

 

And that’s when it happens. Brian turns around. And not only does he turn around. He turns around, starts walking across the room, and _sings_.

 

**Say my name  
** Sun shines through the rain  
A whole life so lonely  
And then come and ease the pain  
I don't want to lose this feeling, oh 

 

Justin is so overcome by emotion that he has to choke out the rest of the song. But he does it because he and Brian are going to face life together. And what better way to do that than through song? So, while he walks away from the desk, he and Brian meet in the middle and they sing their hearts out.

 

**Close your eyes, give me your hand  
** Do you feel my heart beating  
Do you understand  
Do you feel the same  
Am I only dreaming  
Or is this burning an eternal flame 

**Close your eyes, give me your hand, darlin'  
** Do you feel my heart beating  
Do you understand  
Do you feel the same  
Am I only dreaming  
Is this burning an eternal flame 

**Close your eyes, give me your hand, darlin'  
** Do you feel my heart beating  
Do you understand  
Do you feel the same  
Am I only dreaming, ah  
An eternal- 

 

Brian cuts the song off by smashing his lips against Justin’s. It feels so right. Justin feels like he is at home. They move together so in sync and he never wants it to end. Some people clap and cheer and some people yell out, “Faggots!” But Justin is completely stuck in euphoria so it is all music to his ears. Finally, when they are seconds away from passing out from lack of oxygen, they part.

 

“What...What changed your mind? And why are you barefoot?” Brian asks, running his fingers through Justin’s hair.

 

“Oh Brian,” Justin smiles, “I never stopped loving you...and I couldn’t find my shoes. I would have never acted like that if I hadn’t have been put under a love spell against my will. It made me crazy and in love with Ted of all people. Ted! I can’t believe it.”

 

“I can hear you, you know,” Ted calls out.

 

“But Brian,” Justin tells him soothingly, “She put you under a spell too. She made it so your emotions were amplified and all over the place. That’s why you have been crying over everything recently.”

 

“I haven’t been crying!” Brian sobs out, semi-hysterical, “I’m only crying now bec-because I’m so happy and in l-love!” 

 

Brian’s tears take over and he sobs into his hands.

 

“Fuck, Brian. She did a number on you. She’s such a cunt. We’ll get through it and you’ll be back to normal in no time.”

 

Justin comforts Brian and lets his lover cry on his shoulder. Finally, after what seems like forever, Brian calms down.

 

“I want to be the best partner I can be,” Brian exclaims, cheerful as though his breakdown hadn’t happened.

 

“Brian, I don’t need you to change that much. We just need to talk things out more-”

 

“No more tricking,” Brian interrupts, “No more being a dick. No more reluctance when it comes to bottoming and no more denying you of things like birthday presents and christmas trees and pet kittens.”

 

“Brian, it’s okay. I don’t-”

 

But Brian shushes him, “I want to give you the world, Justin. And I’m going to start tomorrow by adopting six cats from the local shelter. Our home will be a loving home.”

 

“Six? Seriously? Uh, maybe we should just start with one.”

 

“Six.”

 

Justin looks into Brian’s eyes and realizes that the man is not going to be in his right mind until this spell is over and done with. There’s no point in fighting him too hard now.

 

“We’ll talk about it later, alright?”

 

Justin takes Brian’s arm and leads him back to their friends and tries to concentrate on what they are saying while Brian nuzzles his neck. He does get Brian distracted by pointing out Gus and his reaction lets Justin think properly.

 

“Gus! My one and only son whom I love more than life itself!” Brian exclaims then takes Gus into his arms.

 

“Is he going to be okay?” Carl asks, worried about the difference in the man’s behavior.

 

“I think so,” Justin says, “I hope so. As long as we keep him happy, he should be fine for the next few weeks.”

 

“That sneaky devil!” Debbie exclaims, “If Marilyn thinks she can get away with this, she has another thing coming! I’m going to get Carl to drive us around until we find her and-”

 

“We don’t even have the cars,” Ted reminds her, “They’re back at the loft, remember? And believe me, she is not someone you want to mess with. She’s dangerous. If I never see her again it’ll be too soon.”

 

“Shit. We don’t have the cars. We’ll have to catch a couple of cabs.”

 

“I’m riding with Justin. I am riding with him,” Brian insists, latching himself to Justin’s arm, “Emmett and Gus can ride with us. But not Ted.”

 

Ted protests, “Brian, I swear-”

 

“You and Justin go have some alone time, baby,” Emmett insists, patting Brian on the shoulder, “We’ll patch things up later.”

 

And then they’re off. It takes a while but they all get cabs to take them back to the loft. The cab driver is probably gagging at his and Brian’s PDA but Brian is insatiable right now. Their makeout session lasts the whole ride home. Oh. Home. That’s such a nice word.

 

They all get out and Brian helps Evie and Abby back to the first floor loft while Justin stares at the group. 

 

“Thanks for the helping hand tonight, guys.”

 

“Oh, no problem!”

 

“It was eventful!”

 

“So romantic!”

 

“So fucking weird.”

 

Justin laughs at Hunter’s comment, “You all heading home?”

 

Most of them say yes except for Lindsay, “I think I’ll go see Mel. Talk things out. I know it’s late but…”

 

Justin smiles, “I really do hope things work out between the two of you.”

 

Justin wishes them all goodbye and heads up the stairs, his hand latched with Brian’s. They make it inside and collapse into bed. Clothes are tossed, small kisses are pressed against each others lips and necks and collarbones and chests. It feels like warmth. It feels like love.

 

It feels like home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recycled Evie and Abby from my QAF fic Abby & Abbott, in case any of you are interested in reading that. The song in this chapter is "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Two chapters left! Thanks for reading and please review if you get the chance!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian convinces Justin to add more love to their home.

“It was fate. That’s what it was. The heavens cried because Justin and I weren’t together and that’s what delayed my flight, not the rain. And that’s when Justin sang to me. It was the most beautiful song. Want to hear it? _Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling_ -”

 

“We were there, sweetheart. Remember?” Debbie says as she fills his bowl with Italian Wedding Soup.

 

Brian nods, eyes shining with happiness, “But don’t you want to hear the story again? If I were you, I would want to hear it all the time.”

 

“Kinney, what is up with you?” Melanie asks.

 

Brian looks at Melanie and smiles, “Nothing is wrong in my world. I have a beautiful partner. A handsome son. Wonderful friends. On top of that, I have you and Lindsay. Gus is so blessed to have you as his mothers. I really respect what a strong person you are. You’re simply fantastic and I think the reason we don’t get along most of the time is because we are too alike. We’re both passionate and gruff but when it comes down to it we love fiercely.”

 

The table is silent and Brian sits there, grinning almost maniacally.

 

Lindsay clears her throat and mutters, “Believe me now?”

 

Mel nods, numb from the shock.

 

“Brian, sweetie?” Lindsay asks as she puts her hand on top of his, “How are you feeling? Don’t you feel like something is off?”

 

Brian softens his happy expression and laces his fingers with hers, “I feel enlightened. I can’t explain it. I just feel so much that I want to cry-”

 

Brian breaks off and tears fall from his eyes. Yet, the man keeps smiling and keeps his eyes locked with the mother of his child. Justin can tell that it is making her incredibly nervous.

 

“Brian?” Justin prompts, gently pulling the man away, “It’s okay. Focus on your dinner, alright?” 

 

“I love you, Sunshine,” Brian mumbles, leaning into Justin’s chest to cuddle.

 

“I know,” Justin says as he kisses the top of his head before he looks over Brian and mouths, ‘ _See? See what I mean?_ ’ Going by their faces, they definitely see what he has been talking about.

 

“Brian?” Debbie says gently, “Why don’t you eat your soup?” 

 

“Oh yes, of course,” Brian says while wiping his eyes, “Sometimes I just get overwhelmed with the intense feelings I have for all of you.”

 

“It happens to the best of us.”

 

Brian finally starts eating and Justin lets out a sigh. He needed to find Mysterious Marilyn. After he slowly cut off her arms and legs, he needed answers on how to deal with this and how to deal with Brian when he got his mind back and flipped his shit over what he has said and done. The problem was leaving Brian alone for long enough to do that. Not only was Justin nervous that the man’s newfound sweetness and vulnerability would be taken advantage of by someone who caught onto Brian’s new behavior, his partner didn’t like it when they weren’t in the same room so their time apart has been limited. Besides, he’s caught Brian trying to sneak out to go to the animal shelter for days now. If Justin kept his eyes off of him for too long, they would be up to their eyes in vet bills and kitty litter.

 

“Emmett?” Brian prompts, putting down his spoon after two bites.

 

“Yeah, baby?”

 

Brian clears his throat, “I really want to apologize for the way I threw you out of the loft a few days ago. I was just so upset and heartbroken after Insane Justin turned me away and you declined my offer of a real relationship. I don’t want you to think I didn’t appreciate your concern and kindness and I also don’t want you to think that I felt nothing for you or that I was just settling due to my previous conflict with the love of my life. Well, I might have been settling but I did hold romantic feelings for you. I still do since you can’t just get over feelings like that. But I am immensely happy that I am with Justin again. He is the man who I am supposed to be with. I really like you and care for you. Plus you are great in bed. But what really made me fall for you was your kindness and support. Justin is giving that to me now. I just hope that you don’t feel used or anything because you deserve the best in life. I hope you and Drew last for an eternity. Anyway, I just want you to know that if I seem withdrawn from you or distant, it isn’t because I don’t care. It’s just because I don’t want to make things complicated between you and my partner. I hope one day in the near future we can be closer than ever and you’ll be my best friend in the whole entire world. Besides Justin.”

 

“...And?” Michael prompts, annoyed.

 

Brian looks across the table then smiles, “And Michael. Oh, it’s so hard to pick just one best friend! You are all my best friends! Except for Ted.”

 

“Brian,” Justin says, forcing the man to his attention, “We talked about this. Ted didn’t take advantage of me during my time under Marilyn’s spell, even when he didn’t know about it.”

 

Brian bows his head in shame and nods, “You’re right,” Brian looks up to meet Ted’s eyes, “Theodore, the reason I was so hurt by the idea of Justin running off with you was because I consider you to be one of my best friends as well as one of my closest confidantes. Now that I know you tried to tell me about Marilyn’s spell and you didn’t sleep with Justin due to having a camaraderie with me, I trust you more than ever.”

 

“...Thank you, Brian. It really means a lot to hear you say that.”

 

Brian offers him a small accepting smile before speaking again.

 

“And Carl, I can’t tell you how much-”

 

“Sweetheart, why don’t you just eat? You are being incredibly sweet and endearing but you’re talking so much that you are making me look like a church mouse.” Debbie tells him, a little exasperated.

 

“I...I’m sorry, Debbie. I just...I just love you all so much!” Brian gets out before he breaks down.

 

“Hey hey hey! Brian, come here. I hate this fucking spell!” Justin says as Brian collapses into Justin’s arms.

 

The group watches Brian with wide shocked eyes until he sits back up and composes himself.

 

“You’ll feel better once the spell is done and over with, Brian,” Ben consoles.

 

But Brian shakes his head, “You know, you all are telling me I am under some sort of spell but come on. Look at me. I’m acting completely normal.”

 

Justin slaps a hand to his face and tries to tune out Brian telling Ben what a smart and strong man he is. Jesus Fucking Christ.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Justin loves Brian immensely, don’t get him wrong, but the man was getting on his last nerve. It was like being with a very well-spoken yet emotional toddler. 

 

“Justin?” Brian asks as he holds his hand on the way home.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Do you ever think moths get depressed because they aren’t butterflies? Like, they spend their whole caterpillaric life just waiting for the day where it’s time to make their cocoon. Once they’re all wrapped up, they wait in anticipation. They feel themselves growing wings and they get so excited because they will be beautiful one day. They can’t wait to see the patterns on their wings and they especially can’t wait to fly around showing them off. Then the day comes where it’s time to break free. They struggle and finally break the cocoon open. Then they fly around and look for a window or a side view mirror or maybe a lake. Just something so they can see their reflection. Then they see themselves. They don’t see the pretty colors and they have much of a pattern. Most of them don’t have any pattern at all. They see themselves and they just look...plain. Boring. They worked so fucking hard to become perfect but it just isn’t in their genetic makeup. They were born completely fucked without a chance to be the best and that is so unfair. I need to sit down.”

 

Brian sits down on the sidewalk, lost in his weird ass thoughts. Justin looks down and is grateful that they are on a semi-suburban street on a school night. At least that way Brian can’t embarrass himself in front of anyone besides him.

 

“Will you sit with me? Please?”

 

Justin sighs and looks around before sitting down next to Brian.

 

“I don’t think the moths get depressed,” Justin answers.

 

Brian looks troubled and whispers, “But how do you know?”

 

“Because...okay, do you think chimpanzees get jealous because they look don’t like you? I don’t think they would because they’re a different species so they don’t want to look like a human, just like we don’t want to look like them. Same goes with moths. Moths probably only find each other attractive and think of butterflies the same way we think of chimps. Besides, I read that moths and butterflies only live for 9 months or so after they go through metamorphosis. They are probably too busy concentrating on living their lives to the fullest, not on their looks.”

 

Justin wants to say that they don’t have the brain capacity and social standards to care what they look like but Brian obviously didn’t want an answer like that right now.

 

“That’s the most uplifting thing I’ve ever heard,” his emotionally unstable boyfriend tells him before giving him a soft kiss on the lips.

 

Brian laces their fingers together and smiles before looking up at the stars.

 

“Aren’t the stars beautiful, Sunshine?”

 

“Yeah, Brian. They’re just grand.”

 

“I’m glad you think so. I named a star after you yesterday. I called and made it official while you went to the grocery store.”

 

“Wait, what? Why?”

 

Brian lies down and pulls Justin down with him, “Because a star should be honored to have your name. I tried to get the sun. It is a star, after all. They said it was off limits. I told them your nickname was Sunshine and it would be perfect but they wouldn’t budge. I was planning on waiting until your birthday to show you but I couldn’t wait any longer. Once we get the papers, we’ll buy a telescope and find the star called “Justin Sunshine ILOVEYOUILOVEYOUILOVEYOU Taylor.”

 

Justin blinks a few times but then starts laughing over the absurdity of everything Brian has said. Brian sits back up.

 

“What’s funny?”

 

Justin wipes the wetness from his eyes and tries to stop his giggles, “This just had to happen to us. It’s fucking hilarious.”

 

With that, Justin gets up and holds his hand down to help Brian up. He’s just going to try to find the humor in all this from now on. It’s the only thing that will keep him sane.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, he tried for a while. But god, Brian won’t let the cat thing go and it’s getting on his last nerve.

 

“Justin, we have been putting this off long enough. We need to go to the animal shelter tomorrow to pick out our cats,” Brian orders, putting his foot down.

 

Justin turns to look at his boyfriend’s serious expression and he knows then that Brian is going to get his way. He just hopes that the man doesn’t kick out his new pet once he’s back to normal.

 

“Fine. But we’re only getting one,” Justin tells him sternly.

 

“But-” 

 

“That’s all I want, Brian. Don’t you want to make me happy?”

 

Brian’s eyes soften, “Of course I do. One it is. I’m so excited to go on this journey with you.”

 

Justin rolls his eyes, “I’m sure you are. Come on, let’s get in the shower.”

 

One thing that has remained the same is Brian’s prowess. Although, he is a bit sweeter and more loving when he fucks him, he still has the strength and stamina. It really gives Justin a sense of normalcy.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They get up the next morning and head over to the shelter on Hamilton. Brian is glowing with excitement and runs to the car instead of walking. The ride is only 10 minutes so they get there rather quickly and Brian is sprinting into traffic to get to the shelter across the street.

 

“Brian, watch out!” Justin shouts out, panicked over the car coming his boyfriend’s way.

 

Luckily the car stops and, after the driver curses at Brian by sticking his head out the window, he lets Brian pass to the other side of the street. Justin waits at the crosswalk like a normal person before he crosses.

 

“You know, you won’t meet our kitten if you get hit and killed by a car,” Justin tells him irritably once he gets across the street.

 

Brian has the decency to blush before he grabs Justin’s hand, “Come on. Let’s meet our new child.”

 

“You mean our cat?”

 

Brian shakes his head, “Isn’t it the same thing?”

 

Justin stares at Brian in bewilderment, “Just go inside, Brian.”

 

The two of them walk through the doors and are met by one of the volunteers. She introduces herself as Leah and Brian tells her they are interested in a kitten before she leads them back to the cat room. They are greeted with loud meows coming from all the built-in cages and, okay, Justin can admit that he is a little excited too.

 

“Do you have a color preference?” Leah asks as they walk further in.

 

“Brian, what do you think? Maybe white or another lighter color due to the furniture?” Justin asks him.

 

“I refuse to discriminate by color. We will take whichever kitten needs a home the most.”

 

Leah smiles and nods, “You might be interested in this little guy here then.”

 

The woman leads them over to a cage where they find a three legged orange and black kitten.

 

“He is a sweetheart. We call him Pumpkin and that’s his mama right behind him. She’s one of the prettiest calicos we’ve seen come through here. She was brought in sick and pregnant with three kittens. She needed a C-Section and her two other babies died but this one right here fought hard. The umbilical cord wrapped around his right back leg while he was in the womb and completely cut off his circulation to it. For a few days, the vet kept an eye on the little guy but it became obvious that the leg was dead so it was amputated. His mother really took to him though and loves him immensely. She cries whenever we take him out. He’s four months old and has been up for adoption since he was 8 weeks old. No one really wants to take him home due to his disability, even though he can get around like any other kitten his age. He just can’t become obese because he wouldn’t be able to handle the extra weight like a four legged cat would be able to.”

 

“He’s so cute!” Justin cooed before clearing his throat, “But I know that Brian will probably-”

 

“We’ll take him,” Brian interrupts, beaming at their new addition.

 

“Really? Oh, that’s wonderful!” Leah says, “See, Pumpkin? You’re getting a new home! He got his shots when he became eligible for adoption and got fixed as well. The adoption fee is eighty dollars. I will hand him over to you and you can fill out the paperwork. Also, if you have a name picked out, feel free to put it on there so we can make a tag for him.”

 

Leah gets Pumpkin out and closes the door then hands him over to Justin. Justin looks at his cute face and grins before he rubs noses with him. They take a couple of steps and Pumpkin’s mother starts to meow mournfully. Justin has a hard time hearing it but manages to convince himself she’ll find a home too when Leah says, “She’ll be alright, I think. She just got a little too attached to her kitten since he was the only one who made it.”

 

However, Brian stops in his tracks and refuses to take another step.

 

“Brian? What is it?” Justin asks, turning around.

 

“We have to take her too, Justin. I can’t leave her here. I won’t. I’m sure she’s a good cat and she’ll be less hyper than another kitten would be. So what’s one more?”

 

And, even though it isn’t like Brian to even want a cat in the first place, this is the first time in a week where he could truly see the man he remembered. He knows that Brian, as dickish as he may act, would not leave someone in need behind. So Justin finds himself nodding as he turns to Leah.

 

“How much is it to adopt his mother?”

 

Leah grins, “Cleo would usually be sixty dollars since she is a young adult cat around three years old. But since you are adopting her with her kitten, she will only be thirty.”

 

“We’ll take her too,” Brian says quickly, “I’ll hold her.”

 

Leah puts Cleo in Brian’s arms and Brian is immediately able to calm her down. It’s shocking how much he is taking to this. Justin wonders if the real Brian is in there at all, completely flipping his shit over the inevitable cat hair that will be on his shirt. 

 

But when Brian looks down at his new cat with kind eyes, Justin just sees love.

 

Brian bought a large carrier before they came and both Cleo and Pumpkin are able to fit into it with no problem. They decide on the names Simone and Henry, fill out the adoption papers, and leave with their new additions. Brian walks across the street properly this time and coos at the cats all the way home. Justin rolls his eyes at his partner’s behavior but it’s in good nature.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gus and the girls visit at the loft three days later and are the first out of the gang to meet the cats. Brian has been so taken with them and it’s both cute and bizarre. 

 

“I just love them so much! Here, Gus. Hold Henry. I want to take a picture of the two of you.”

 

Brian gets his camera and snaps a few pictures of his son and the new kitten. Simone is on Justin’s lap which is actually a surprise since she has really taken to Brian. Justin looks down and pets her before looking over to Lindsay and Melanie. He has to suppress his sigh. They are so uncomfortable around Brian. Sometimes he doesn’t know how to act around pod!Brian either but pod!Brian means well. He’s very loving and so sensitive. He just hopes that his partner doesn’t catch onto Lindsay and Melanie’s discomfort. It was heartbreaking when Melanie wouldn’t return Brian’s hug when she came in. Brian had looked so crestfallen and Justin had to go sit with him in the bathroom to let him know that Melanie did care...deep down.

 

“Don’t you love my cats, Lindsay?” Brian exclaims, as he rushes over to his friend and sits by her on the couch.

 

“Of...of course, Brian. They are very sweet,” Lindsay tells him with a hesitant smile.

 

Brian smiles back and lays his head in her lap, “I love you, Lindsay. You are a great mother and one of my best friends.”

 

Justin sees Lindsay’s moisten, “I love you too, Brian. I really do. Oh honey…”

 

After Justin takes in the scene, he puts his coat on.

 

“I hate to be rude. But it isn’t easy for me to leave the loft without...you know. I have a couple of people I need to talk to and-”

 

“It’s okay,” Melanie cuts in, “We’ll keep an eye on him until you get back.”

 

Justin nods and kneels down next to Brian, “I’ll be back soon, alright? Don’t freak out like you did last time. I’m coming back. I’ll always come back.”

 

Brian nods and Justin takes his face to kiss him. Quickly, he stands up and heads out the door.

 

He’ll find her tonight. He won’t stop searching until he does.

 

He expects to be searching all over town, but it ends up being a lot more simple than that. As soon as he walks into Woody’s, there she is at the end of the bar. He ignores the whispers of the crowd that start up as soon as he is spotted and makes his way to the bar.

 

“Hell, Mr. Taylor,” Marilyn greets him while looking into her bullshit crystal ball.

 

“We need to talk,” Justin demands, standing over her in an attempt to keep the upper hand.

 

“Hmmm. Chat away,” She murmurs.

 

“I want to kill you for what you pulled,” Justin seethes, “You had no right. At all.”

 

“I’m aware. I just don’t care.”

 

“You don’t care that Brian was so fucking devastated that he was about to move to Louisiana? You don’t care that I sexually harassed one of Brian’s closest friends?”

 

“I would have intervened if need be. I actually did. I saw that Brian would decide to move away a couple of days before it happened. Who do you think turned on the waterworks and made the rain pour? I do love a good airport reunification. I did not anticipate the musical number though. Nice touch.”

 

Justin stews in his anger. He knows he won’t beat her. It’s impossible. He needs to just stay logical about this and get his answers. 

 

“How long will he be like this?” 

 

“Two more weeks. The 16th, to be exact. Then he will be his normal but hopefully improved self.”

 

“We made fucking fools of ourselves. In public. He will never get over that. I don’t know if I will either.”

 

Marilyn scoffs, “Oh please! No one will remember it at all. Not outside of your small group of friends. It’ll keep him from being embarrassed around the workplace and his hangout spots but give him enough humility to keep him in check. He won’t be able to hide how he feels about the people closest to him because they will already know.”

 

Justin rubs his eyes, “Shit...what about the cats?”

 

Marilyn snorts and looks into her crystal ball, “The cats are safe. He will try to be cold to them and claim he wants them gone but it will last for a couple of days tops. Cats are intuitive. They know his soul, no matter which way he acts.”

 

Justin pauses, “So no one will know? Except for Emmett, Ted, Michael, Ben, Lindsay, Melanie, Debbie, Carl, and Hunter.”

 

“Evie Abbot and little Gus might catch on. But one’s so old and the other is so young. Who knows if they’ll retain it? Drew Boyd will though.”

 

Justin glares at her but she just looks up at him and smiles.

 

“Would you like a reading? Ten for the palm, fifteen for-”

 

“Absolutely not. You’ve lost a customer for good.”

 

Marilyn shrugs, “Your loss.”

 

“I’ll still get back at you. Somehow-”

 

“No you won’t. I can read the future, remember? Now go talk to Ted, like you were planning on doing.”

 

Justin clenches his fists and leaves the bar. He wants to do something else to completely spite her but she’s right. He really needs to talk to Ted.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ever since they stopped Brian at the airport, things have been much more peaceful. Ted didn’t have to worry about Justin obsessing over him and Brian didn’t hate him anymore. They were so wrapped up in each other that they had mostly stayed out of the gang’s hair. Brian hadn’t been to work all that much. He was too hard to control while he was there. The spell’s intensity increased, just like it had with Justin’s. Brian wasn’t able to stay in his seat for more than five minutes before going to tell someone how wonderful they were. Brian was absolutely euphoric and Ted couldn’t blame him. He was under some fucked up curse and back with the love of his life. The only time Brian got upset was when Justin had left for a couple of hours. His freak out had been horrifying.

 

After all the chaos, it was almost too quiet. He was the only one who wasn’t a part of a couple now and that harsh reality made him more than a little sad.

 

Just as he is putting the chicken in the oven, he hears a knock on his door. That’s strange. He wasn’t expecting anybody.

 

Residual fear shoots through Ted as he looks through the peephole and sees Justin Taylor. He calms himself down and reminds himself that Justin isn’t in love with him anymore. Those terrifying times are over. So with a deep breath, he opens the door.

 

“Hi, Justin.”

 

Justin blushes a little and bashfully looks away, “Hey...Uh, can I come in? I promise not to hump your leg or anything.”

 

“Yeah, of course. Come in.”

 

Ted steps aside and lets Justin in, “You want anything to drink?”

 

“No, I’m good,” Justin tells him while he stands around awkwardly.

 

“Alright. Let me know if you change your mind.”

 

They stand there in silence, daring the other one to speak up first. Finally, Justin lets out a sigh an gives in.

 

“I’m sorry that you were the target of all my shit, Ted. It wasn’t fair to you at all. I really hate that I made you uncomfortable. I’m so fucking embarrassed.”

 

“Hey, come on,” Ted says good naturedly, “It wasn’t your fault. Don’t apologize. It’s over now.”

 

Justin nods, looking down, “Thanks for understanding and for not giving into my harassment. I just wanted to apologize and say thank you for that. I can’t stay long since Brian is at home.”

 

“I understand. It’s in the past so don’t worry about it. Get back to Brian.”

 

Justin walks back towards the door but stops right when he puts his hand on the handle before he turns around.

 

“You...you want to get coffee sometime? As friends? I did mean it when I said we should get to know each other better. Obviously we can wait a while since I’m sure you are sick of me but the offer stands.”

 

Ted smiles, “I’d like that.”

 

Justin gives him one of his trademark Sunshine grins and Ted thinks it’s the end of the conversation. But when he turns back to the living room Justin says something else.

 

“And Ted? I also meant that other thing I said. You’re an incredible person and you deserved to be loved.”

 

Justin heads out the door and Ted feels the corners of his mouth move up in a sad smile. If only he could believe that.

 

Ted sits down and tries to enjoy the quiet. Sometimes he wishes he didn’t live alone so that he could have somebody, anybody-

 

“Meow.”

 

Ted looks down and sees Lupe on his lap, kneading her paws into his legs and purring comfortingly. With great hesitance, Ted lifts his hand to pet her behind her ears and her purrs get louder as she leans into the touch.

 

“Well, this is a first,” Ted says to her softly as she cuddles with him.

 

“Meow.”

 

“Thanks for letting me know I’m not alone.”

 

Lupe stretches out in Ted’s lap and falls asleep. He doesn’t move until the kitchen timer rings.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brian wears out quickly on the evening of November 15th. Justin knows the end of pod!Brian is coming. He warned their friends as well. He knows they all missed the Brian they know and love but pod!Brian was so sweet, even though he was the same person. They had all come at various times throughout the day, emotionally saying goodbye without actually saying the words. Justin would miss this sweet man as well. He knew that deep down Brian felt some of these things genuinely. Hopefully this experience would get him to open up a little more after the initial bullshit he would inevitably put them through.

 

“You tired?” Justin asks him around 7:30 when he sees Brian nodding off on the couch.

 

“Yeah, really tired.”

 

“Let’s get you to bed.”

 

Justin gets Brian up and leads him to the bed. The cats cuddle by Brian’s legs and Justin holds him as his boyfriend starts to drift off.

 

“Sunshine?” Brian slurs out, bringing Justin to attention.

 

“Yeah, Brian?”

 

“I really do love you. Always will. Even if I act like I don’t, it isn’t true. Please don’t give up on me.”

 

Justin swallows the lump in his throat and squeezes Brian tighter.

 

“Never, Brian. I’ll never do that. Not after this.”

 

Brian falls asleep and Justin just looks at him for hours before following suit. He feels so fucking emotional but he wants to get the rest. Morning will come faster that way and he’ll need to be in top form to handle the fallout to all of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter! Please let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian wakes up with his head all stuffy and his face touching something fluffy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of my very serious story. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks for the support!

_’God, my head feels so stuffy,’_ Brian thinks as groans and tries to open his eyes.

 

He rubs his face a few times for good measure but he’s so fucking tired. Fuck it. He’s sleeping in a little longer. He doesn’t know what day it is or what is supposed to be going on but Cynthia can handle whatever comes her way and he’ll go into work if today turns weekday whenever he feels like he isn’t about to die. 

 

He turns over to bury his face into his pillow but feels something soft, fluffy, and furry brush against his cheek.

 

So he turns his head to the side, opens his eyes, and comes face to face with a pattern of white, black, and orange. 

 

The being turns to look at him and opens its mouth to speak.

 

“Meowwww,” it says to him, as though he should know how to interpret what it says.

 

When it rubs its face against his own, that’s when he snaps out of it and jumps so intensely that he falls off the bed and onto the floor.

 

“Brian?” Justin calls out, “Are you alright?”

 

Justin rushes in from the bathroom in only a towel. He kneels down next to him and Brian sits up to look at the cat on the bed.

 

“What is that _thing_ doing here?” Brian grits out.

 

Justin pauses and looks at the cat on the bed. The cat meows and, just when Brian least expects it, another one - a deformed one - climbs up on the bed.

 

“Justin, what the fuck?!” Brian yells as he gets up.

 

“Brian Brian Brian,” Justin consoles, “You really need to just stop and think about what you are saying. Do you remember the last two months at all?”

 

“What are you-?” Brian starts before he thinks back. It’s weird that Justin asked him that question because the details are VERY fuzzy at first. He’s wondering if he hit his head or something. Anything that would describe what’s going on right now. 

 

But then it clicks. Everything falls into place. He remembers everything. He remembers the pain from Justin leaving him and his previous hatred for Ted. He remembers pretending to date Emmett before he remembers that he actually fucked Emmett easily 20 times, if not more. He remembers being so fucking depressed that Justin was in love with one of his best friends and he remembers falling a little for Emmett because the man had shown him such kindness. He still feels warmth and affection when he thinks of his friend, even though it can’t equal out to the love he holds for Justin. Shit, why is he thinking like that? Why is he....

 

Oh. Maybe because he has been acting like a total imbecile for almost a month. Fuck, did he really do those things? Did he really send Justin flowers everyday, ask Emmett to be in a relationship with him when he thought he and Justin were over, and sing at the fucking airport? Did he really name a star after Justin, cry from happiness at least twice a day, and adopt two fucking cats?

 

Shit, did he really donate FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS to a fucking clothes for cats foundation? What the fuck was wrong with him?!

 

“Oh god…” Brian moans out, trying to get a fucking grip on the mess he made out of his life.

 

“Brian, it’s okay! You did nothing wrong,” Justin tells him as he rubs his arm.

 

“Don’t touch me!” Brian snaps pulling away before getting up.

 

He looks down at the two animals, ignores the feelings of affection and closeness he has for them, and turns to Justin.

 

“I want them gone in a week.”

 

Justin gapes, “Brian, you love them-”

 

“FUCK!” he screams out before he rushes into the bathroom and slams the door.

 

He’s made a complete mockery of himself. He ran around town, acting like a cheerful buffoon. Why did he do that? Everyone would make fun of him now. His stud status was shot to shit. He would never live it down.

 

Before he can stop it, a sob escapes his lips. To cover up his moment for weakness, he throws all the shit off the bathroom counter and screams. He wants to trash the place, yet again. Why does he always want to create a huge mess when he’s upset? He needs to get a grip. But he’s so overwhelmed. All he can do is sink down the wall. He pulls his knees up, buries his face in his hands, and tries not to give into the screaming or tears or whatever will happen if he lets go. He’s so fucking pathetic. Even when he realizes he’s been fucking pathetic, he’s still acting pathetic.

 

He’ll have to move. He’ll go through with it this time. He’ll-

 

“Brian?” Justin calls out from the other side of the door, “Open the door. Let’s talk about this. It wasn’t your fault, alright? You couldn’t help acting like that. It’s okay.”

 

“Then what was it, Justin?” Brian answers, “Why would I do that?”

 

“Don’t you remember? I told you that the reason you were acting funny was due to you being cursed. The same thing happened to me and that’s why I got all obsessed with Ted.”

 

“That...Justin, that’s not real. Curses aren’t real. Fuck...I can’t give you what you need, alright? I obviously have a personality disorder and need to commit myself. I want you to be happy. Go back to Ted. He’ll take care of you.”

 

And it kills Brian to say that. It really does. But it’s obvious he needs help and that he’s a danger to himself. He ran out in front of a car because he was excited to get a kitten for God’s sake! He is definitely fucked up in the head. He really hopes it isn’t hereditary. He was already worried enough over Gus getting cancer one day since he and Jack had it but now it’s obvious that mental illness runs on his side too. Makes sense, now that he thinks about it. Addiction fits into the mental illness category and he wouldn’t be surprised if Claire was bipolar. Fuck, it all fits. He needs to get help. He needs to put himself away, stop being a fucking embarrassment, and-

 

“Brian!”

 

Brian looks up and sees Justin standing over him.

 

“How did you get in here?” Brian asks him, suspicious.

 

Justin raises an eyebrow, “You left the door unlocked.”

 

Justin sits down across from him stretches his legs out to nudge Brian with his foot. 

 

“You’re not mentally ill. You’re fucked up, but you’ve always been fucked up.”

 

Brian glares but Justin holds up his hand and continues.

 

“This past month was completely out of your control. I know that because the same thing happened to me the month before.”

 

“But-” Brian starts but Justin holds up a hand.

 

“Do you remember the shit I was doing? God, Brian. I was a fucking nut case. Over Ted Schmidt. I’m a bit insulted that you couldn’t see that I was acting completely crazy. I thought you knew me better than that.”

 

“Well, you left me for someone else before,” Brian retorts. It’s a low blow but fuck it.

 

Justin nods, “I know. And I understand why you might not get it at first. I was awful when I broke up with you this time around. I could see how much I broke your heart but I didn’t have it in me to care. The spell Mysterious Marilyn put on me made me that way. But god, couldn’t you tell a little bit that I was completely off?”

 

Brian hesitates then gives in, “At times. I was just so fucking hurt and that’s what took over.”

 

“I know. And you handled it the wrong way. That’s why Marilyn cursed you to not hold any love, happiness, or sadness in and amplified it to the max. It was completely fucked up.”

 

Brian stares at Justin. He can’t believe that Justin is actually making him believe this crap. But it would explain a lot. Shit.

 

“That bitch,” Brian mutters, rubbing the back of his neck, “Why did she do it?”

 

Justin shrugs and looks away. Brian stares at him and end up straightening out his legs to lightly kick him in the thigh.

 

“Justin. Why the _fuck_ did she put a curse on us?”

 

Justin lets out a sigh and meets his eyes, “She wanted you to get your head out of your ass. She thought you deserved to get your heart broken for not taking our relationship seriously and for fucking around so she put a spell on me to make me fall in love with someone else. When you didn’t try to win me back, she cursed you.”

 

Brian blinks, “So you think she was right? You think I don’t take us seriously?”

 

“Well, the fucking contest you had with Brandon was a good indicator,” Justin mutters.

 

Brian keeps staring at him and he has two sides warring within him. The one side wants to tell Justin to suck it up and the other wants to grovel and apologize for hurting him.

 

“Do you want something else then? Someone else?”

 

“I want you to...forget it.”

 

Brian huffs, “No, Justin. Just say it. Say what you fucking want.”

 

Justin growls, “I have told you what I wanted! I want you to let me know that you give a shit about how I feel! I know you care, I know that. But sometimes you completely disregard me. You think going out for dinner and a movie is for heteros. And you never tell me that you love me! I know we’ve had this conversation before. I know actions speak louder. But the fact that you’ll ditch me for the evening to fuck some stranger on some list when you won’t even say three words to me without being under a spell is really fucking cruel-”

 

Tears fall from Justin’s eyes and he looks away to cover his face with his hand, “If you can’t or you won’t do those things when I would do almost anything in a heartbeat for you, why are you even with me?”

 

Brian feels his heart cracking as he watches Justin sniffle. Shit. He’s so fucked up.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Justin says nothing and Brian knows he’s going to have to try harder. He gets on his knees and crawls closer to Justin so that he can put a hand on his arm.

 

“Hey. I really am sorry. I didn’t know you were so upset. I hate that you feel like this. I hate that I made you feel like this.”

 

Justin nods and quietly says, “Now I need to know what you want. I’m not asking you to become monogamous and I’m not asking for you to do super romantic shit. I’m just asking for you to stop making me question why I’m even here. To stop pushing me away and making me feel like shit by passing me up to go out and fuck other men all the time.”

 

“Shit, Justin. If you feel that way about everything then maybe you should leave,” Brian tells him. God, he doesn’t want Justin to leave. Not again. But he doesn’t want Justin to feel so miserable.

 

“So you won’t even try? You won’t try to be more open with me at all?” Justin softly asks, his voice cracking.

 

Brian feels intense fear and he knows that he’s going to have to make a decision right now. He was fucking miserable when Justin told him he didn’t love him anymore. Why did he expect Justin to love him but didn’t feel the need to tell Justin he felt the same. He thought showing it helped. It did. But if Justin needed to hear it to feel better about staying with him then he was going to have to do something.

 

“I’ll try,” Brian whispers before he raises his voice with more conviction, “I really will start trying. I...I was a fucking wreck when you left. It was worse than it was with Ian-”

 

“Ethan,” Justin corrects him.

 

“ _Ian_ ,” Brian retorts pointedly before continuing, “You...You told me you didn’t love me anymore. You acted like you didn’t care how fucking devastated I was and just left. I had to call Mikey because I was afraid I would do something stupid-”

 

“Brian, you didn’t think about doing something rash, did you?,” Justin interrupts, alarmed.

 

“No. I didn’t think about harming myself but I was more drunk than I had been in years and couldn’t get a grip so he came over and stayed until the next evening.”

 

Justin looks at him in silence and Brian takes a deep breath then continues.

 

“I know I should have fought for you or at least tried to talk to you. But you were with Ted and it pissed me off. Ted and I are close, you know? I refused to listen to him because he fucked me over and I wanted to make you both hurt so I got with Emmett-”

 

“And then you fell for him,” Justin finishes softly.

 

“Yeah. I did. Fucking weird, I know. It wasn’t even a fraction to what I feel for you but it was the only other time I felt romantic feelings towards someone. I didn’t really plan on doing anything with him but he was single and so was I. I was pretending to be monogamous with him to make you jealous because I’m a fucking dick. But that made it so I couldn’t fuck around so fucking him just happened...I wouldn’t have done it if I had known why you were acting the way you were.”

 

There’s silence for a few minutes and Justin lets out a sigh.

 

“Do you still feel something for him?”

 

Brian shrugs, “I don’t know. Maybe a little. Nothing close to what I feel for you. Nothing I can’t get over quickly.”

 

Justin nods, “Okay. I’m not mad that you fell for someone else while all this was happening. You thought I did so you had every right. What pisses me off with the thing you had with Emmett is that you didn’t fuck anyone else. You just fucked him. And I know you were trying to piss me off but why would you do that for a fake relationship but not for me?”

 

Brian groans, “Because I’m an asshole?”

 

“Yeah. You can be,” Justin says. And that’s all he says. He’s not going to give him anything else.

 

He’s going to do it. He is going to be shocked over the words coming out of his own mouth but so be it.

 

“I’ll try. I’ll try the monogamy thing.”

 

“Brian, I’m not going to force you-”

 

“You aren’t forcing me. If I did it with Emmett then I can do it for you. I can do it....I can do it for the man I love.”

 

Justin’s breath hitches, “...Are you sure? Are you sure you want this?”

 

“I’ve been treating you unfairly. I get that now. I would be pissed if you ignored everything I asked from you too. I was with the Pink Posse.”

 

“Well, I was carrying a gun around Pittsburgh to scare people,” Justin admits.

 

Justin crawls over to straddle Brian’s lap and kiss him.

 

“I love you,” Justin whispers against his lips, “You’re the only man I have ever loved.”

 

“I love you too,” Brian says back. It’s easier than he thought it would be. “And you’re the only man I ever will love, I’m guessing.”

 

Justin raises his eyebrows, “That’s a bold statement.”

 

Brian shrugs, “Doesn’t mean it’s any less true.”

 

Justin smiles, so sweetly and bright, “Well, I don’t sing out my love for just anyone. I think you’ll be the only man I ever love too.”

 

Brian glares, “You sang to Ted.”

 

Justin snorts, “Yeah, but I’ll sing for you anytime. Anywhere. Any day of the week.”

 

Justin exaggeratingly clears his throat and begins to sing.

 

 **I dreamed a dream in time gone by.**  
**When hope was high and life worth living.**  
**I dreamed that love would never die-**

 

“Sunshine, shut up.”

 

Justin laughs and bends down to kiss him once more. It feels so nice and it’s weird that he’s going to genuinely try this monogamy thing with Justin but fuck. He feels good about it. He actually thinks he wants this.

 

But then reality comes crashing down.

 

“Fuck,” Brian groans as he breaks off the kiss, “How am I supposed to explain myself? I’m going to be the laughing stock of Pittsburgh.”

 

Justin huffs out a laugh, “And I wouldn’t be? But don’t worry. Marilyn said that no one is going to remember it except for our group of friends. And Evie. And Hunter. And Carl. And Drew Boyd. I also called Daphne this morning and she remembers too. But everyone else shouldn’t remember a thing.”

 

“Oh god! How the fuck am I supposed to show my face at Debbie’s again?” he absolutely does not wail out.

 

Justin holds his face in his hands and forces Brian to look at him, “We’ll do it together. Like we always do. We’ll get through any taunts that come our way. They can suck it if they try to give us a hard time. But I don’t think they will. They were pissed about what happened too. Debbie wanted to drive around at one in the morning just so she could find Marilyn and ring her neck. But I do think they ended up appreciating Pod!Brian. In fact, I think they’ll really miss Pod!Brian. He was sweet. You should let him out more often.”

 

Brian glares and nips Justin on the arm.

 

“Hey!” Justin yells, rubbing the bite mark, “Pod!Brian wouldn’t do that! He would tell me how perfect we are together, cuddle with me and the cats on the couch, and cry every couple of hours over our epic romance!"

 

"Pod!Brian is dead.”

 

Justin smiles, “Don’t say that. I can see the changes he has made within you already.”

 

"Whatever. Go get on the bed. You're already naked and I am going to fuck you long and hard and have you whimpering for more."

 

Justin's eyes fill with lust and he scrambles up to his feet. Brian hops up, kisses Justin to the bed, and pushes him down on it. He grinds against his partner, creating friction between the two of them during their heated makeout session. Justin has the audacity to roll him over on to his back. As nice as getting fucked by Justin on the regular has been for the past couple of weeks, he wants to top right now. So he smirks, rolls his partner back to where he belongs, and bends down to kiss him again. It stops being hot when he lets out an, “Oof!” as something jumps onto his back.

 

Brian freezes then slowly turns to the side to get the cat in question off of him. Simone lets out a disappointed meow as she lands beside them on the bed. Brian turns over to look at her and fumes.

 

“Are you fucking kidding me?!”

 

Simone blinks, gets on her back to show her belly, starts purring, and says, “Meow.”

 

Justin is laughing hysterically and oh yeah, it’s just one big joke. He shouldn’t be fucking surprised that this would happen since his life has become one huge over the top joke.

 

Brian stands up and and gets the litter box and food then goes to put them in the bathroom.

 

“Brian, what are you doing?”

 

Brian doesn’t answer and just picks up SImone to look her right in the eye.

 

“Where’s your spawn?”

 

Simone holds her tongue and looks at him with smug eyes. Oh, she’s good. 

 

Brian shrugs, “We’ll just have to go find him then.”

 

Brian looks around the apartment with Simone in his arms for the three legged kitten. Shit, he’s good too. He finally finds him in a pot under the sink.

 

“Justin? Did you cook or put any dishes away while I was in the bathroom?” Brian asks him as he picks up the younger cat.

 

Justin lifts his head up, “No. I was in the bedroom until I let myself in. I didn’t even go into the kitchen today.”

 

“Then how the fuck did Henry close the cabinet door?”

 

Justin jumps up and rushes to the kitten.

 

“Did you close the cabinet door, baby?”

 

“Meow.”

 

“Oh!” Justin squeals, “He’s so smart!”

 

Brian scoffs, “Well, he better not figure out how to open the bathroom door because that’s where he and and his mother are going until further notice.”

 

He marches the cats to the bathroom and put them down.

 

“Stay. And don’t pull any weird cat shit. Your daddies are going to suck and fuck and rim for hours on end. Simone, you’re no angel. You know what I’m talking about.”

 

“Meow,” she answers in confirmation. 

 

Brian smirks at Henry, “And you never will know. Tough luck.”

 

“Oh my god, Brian! Quit talking to the cats and come in here!”

 

Brian give them one last look and says, “Be good!” Then he closes the door.

 

Brian struts back to the bed pounces on Justin.

 

“Now where were we?”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She probably should be avoiding Babylon, considering Brian and Justin are here. She think she’ll be safe this time though. It’s not often she lets herself be a he but every once in a while she lets Martin Durning come out to play. He’s less fun and she doesn’t feel as comfortable presenting herself as male but sometimes it comes in handy. 

 

Like now, for instance. She can spy on whoever she wants and no comments have been made. Even Emmett, one of her most loyal customers up until recently, bumped into her, looked at her with no recognition, and excused himself without saying a word. 

 

Brian and Justin look euphoric. She knows she took everything too far but when she holds her full potential back for too long it just overwhelms her and she HAS to create some drama. It’s just who she is. And it worked in their case. They were happy and she knew Brian had opened himself up to Justin completely.

 

Drew and Emmett look smitten as well. She had to keep Mr. Boyd in check when he was getting hit on though. Emmett had left to get drinks and she knows Drew had been tempted to go into that back room. She may have used her speech spell to force a couple of guys to talk about how Emmett was one of the best men you could ever be with when they were right behind Drew. Drew had pushed his suitor away after that and has been doting on Emmett the whole night..

 

And Brian and Emmett? Well, things will get better. Brian gave him a kiss on the cheek and looked a little nervous around the man he still had a bit of a crush on but she wasn’t a fortune teller for nothing. Soon those two would be tighter than a virgin’s ass and he and Justin would go on double dates with Emmett and Drew. God, she could imagine Kinney’s shudders if she would walk up to him and tell him that little tidbit now.

 

The only one who wasn’t having the greatest night was Ted. It’s always a shame to be fifth wheel. She put him through so much shit these past couple of months and the guilt really has caught up with her. There has to be something she can do.

 

Of course.

 

She concentrates long and hard, snaps her fingers, and Blake Wyzecki appears out of thin air. 

 

Blake looks around in fear, trying to figure out what happened. Shit, why is he freaking out so badly? It isn’t like he’s naked or anything.

 

“Blake?”

 

Ted makes his way over to a frightened Blake and touches his arm.

 

“Blake, are you alright? You seem upset.”

 

Blake runs a shaky hand through his hair, “I-I don’t know how I got here! One second I was reading a book in my apartment and the next I’m here! How did I get here?! I’m not using. I can’t be using! I would remember if I had. I worked so h-hard. Fuck, Ted…” 

 

Ted wraps his arms around Blake’s body and tries to calm the younger man down. She sees Ted’s eyes scan the room. He won’t find her. She’s in disguise. He won’t-

 

Ted’s eyes stop on her and he tilts his head in confusion. She sees the moment of recognition hit him full force and he glares before marching over to her.

 

“What the FUCK do you think you’re doing?” Ted demands to know as Blake looks up at him in confusion. 

 

She could play it cool and act like she has no idea what he’s talking about but really, what other explanation can there be for Blake popping up out of nowhere?

 

“...Oh fine, it’s my peace offering. You’re welcome.”

 

Ted sputters, “I will never fucking thank you! You...you witch!”

 

“Ted?” Blake asks, “What is going on?”

 

“It’s all a mystery, dear,” Marilyn tells him sympathetically, “But now that you’re here, why don’t you two have fun? I would join you, but I must be leaving.”

 

“You’re not going anywhere! I swear, I’ll-”

 

“Goodbye.”

 

Marilyn snaps her fingers and she disappears. She has a date with a pint of cherry ice cream and a Lana Turner film.

 

Blake slowly turns to Ted, “Ted? What was that?”

 

“I...I don’t know how to explain it.. But it was real. What you saw was real. It’s just a really long story.”

 

“I have time. If you want to talk, that is.”

 

Ted looks at Blake and a small smile tugs at his old lover’s face. God he’s missed him.

 

“I’d like that. I have a new opera album at my apartment if you want to come over to give it a listen.”

 

“Opera music and storytelling. It sounds like a plan to me,” Blake grins. 

 

Ted leads the way out of Babylon. Drew drove so he doesn’t have a car. It’s okay though. The walk is nice and it only takes a couple of blocks until Blake’s hand reaches out for his own. It may only be their hands that are touching but the warmth from the connection fills his whole body and protects him from the chilly air. 

 

He hasn’t had a nice night in a couple of months now. He knows that tonight is going to break that curse. He deserves that much. He deserves to be happy. He deserves to be loved.

 

And tonight it actually might happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review this weird shit and let me know how you feel about it!


	16. Ending Author's Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a sign off note thanking the readers and reviews as well as some notes on the story.

I wanted to thank all of the reviewers I have had who have told me how much they enjoyed this story. This is my first completed story that is longer than four chapters so I'm quite proud that I have it done.

 

Some of you thought it was a crazy idea that I decided to write a fanfic with Justin being put under a love spell and you are probably right. But my original idea was to have Brian be the one under the love spell and in love with Ted. This was supposed to happen due to a mistake on Marilyn's part. She saw Ted as lonely and wanted someone to fall for the man but Brian took the wrong drink and ended up being the one under it. It was a lot shorter of a story and had very little angst unlike It's All A Mystery. She was a bit more sympathetic in this idea but I think ultimately it was the best route to go the way that it ended up going.

 

So anyway, I'm about to start writing more of Intersect now but I will miss this little stress reliever! I'm happy to be a part of this fandom and if any of you want to chat, just message me!

 

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Annie-Eliza

**Author's Note:**

> Please read and review!


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